They call her Human Torch!
by Karina2m2d
Summary: Reposting: Cullens leave and Bella interns for Von Doom Inc. Exposure to cosmic energy leads to abilities and training as a shield agent. She meets almost everyone in the MCU and even the X-men verse until the Avengers are formed and she meets Steve Rogers shortly after he is found in ice.
1. Chapter 1

****They call her Human Torch! Chapter 1.****

Hey guys, here I am, reposting this story again. I lost all inspiration last time and thought I could take it down, work on it in the future and post it once it was done. I honestly did not think anyone would notice or care so it has been very touching that so many have reached out asking about this story. I have cut some details out that did not add to it and were not going anywhere (no major stuff!), I have tried to fix grammar mistakes but I know I probably have not gotten them all. This story is still not done, I honestly still don't know where I want to go with it and I cannot promise when or even if I will finish this story but at least what is written down I am posting and hopefully it is still as appealing to those that have missed it. Thank you all for your kind messages, enjoy. -Karina(:

**Emily pov – La push**

"Em, is the breakfast almost ready? I'm starving!"

I chuckled lightly at the ridiculous statement.

"Embry you boys are always starving! Besides we are going to wait for Bella."

Cue collective groan from pack.

"But she isn't here yet and we are hungry!"

A ball of emotion struck her throat and she tried swallowing it down.

"Quil we are waiting for Bella! Its her last day here, we are having our last meal together an- and."

I couldn't help the crack in my voice or the tears that filled my eyes. Sam got up and wrapped his arms around me. Trying to sooth me the best he could while looking out to the rest of the guys and Leah.

"Em is right, tomorrow she leaves for Arizona and we don't know when we will see her next so lets make the most out of today's bonfire and **no** guilt trips on her."

I knew everyone would put a brave face for her today even though we would miss her a lot.

"I know some of you think her going away isn't what is best but put yourselves in her shoes, she can't possibly be comfortable at home and if she has a chance to go get some distractions then it can't hurt."

It came as a surprise to everyone when Paul was the one that bonded most with Bella these past 2 months. Seth sighed petulantly.

"I don't understand why she can't just sell her house and buy another one here on the reservation, then she would never be sad and lonely and she wouldn't have to leave."

Leah sighed in annoyance before slapping the back of her brother's head.

"She can't just buy a house here, she isn't Quileute. Besides, even if she could, she would never sell Charlie's house, he died only 2 months ago, the memories are too fresh. I think leaving will be good for her, plus that science thing and the internship she scored in New York with her friend, is gonna look great on her resume."

Jake scoffed.

"Forget the internship, the fact that she missed 3 months of school only to go back and have her test scores so high that she tested out of high school and got her diploma early is impressive enough for any resume."

I was so proud of her for her strength and achievements the past few months, it was February and while every one else had 4 more months of school to go, Bella had enough credits to test out of high school, so she did. She was so full of grief when the leech she calls Victoria, killed her dad but she pulled herself together and told Sam every single thing she knew about vampires, whatever it took to catch and kill her she had said, but it was too tricky and so far no one had gotten close enough. I was pulled out of my thoughts by the loud rumble of Bella's old truck.

**Bella's pov- The next morning.**

I was on my way to the Port Angeles airport being driven by Sam and Emily, there wasn't any conversation but the silence was comforting, everything we had to say to each other had already been said at last nights bonfire, it had been emotional to say the least. I had my moments of doubt, wondering why I would leave the only group of people who truly understood the supernatural crap going on in my life, but then I would get home and I was met with silence instead of the TV set on some sport channel and I remembered why I needed to go. The memories, the grief, and the guilt were all too much. Every inch of that house reminded me of the people who left me, the people who weren't there to protect me and my dad from the threat they introduced me to, the threat that cost my father his life. I took the cowards way out and I simply left it behind.

When my old science teacher from middle school found out from my one and only friend in phoenix, Darcy, that I had graduated early he called to congratulate me, but unfortunately it was a week after Charlie had been killed and his festive speech had quickly turned into a grim one. One month after that, Mr. Dalton called once again, saying he had recently become an activity director at the Arizona science center and that he was looking for someone who could demonstrate some fun looking experiments to kids that came in on field trips. The 'position' would be payed in professional workshops hosted by Arizona state university. I thought about it for all of 2 seconds before agreeing. That same day I called Darcy and she confessed she told Mr. Dalton that I could use a break from Forks, her family quickly opened up their home but I decided to stay in Renee's old house, she and Phil lived in Florida now so I would have a house full of happy memories to myself, it would be a good change. Hopefully.

.

.

It had taken a couple of weeks to get in the groove of things but eventually I had. At first Darcy didn't know how to talk to me, it was difficult hiding so many aspects of my life from my oldest friend but eventually she treated me just like she did before I left, and that was all I needed to feel like I could move past my grief. Part time I did the explanations of experiments for the field trips schools would take to the science center and the rest of my time was spent at the university doing month long workshops. At first I was a little lost since I was advanced for high school science but not college level science. My first month was a course in computer science, second month was a course in computer security, third month was algorithms, and this last month I was doing a crash course on software engineering. It was the first week of June and by the end of next week I would finally be in New York. Darcy had already applied to intern for the summer at Von Doom Industries. The courses I had been taking was the only reason that my application was accepted last minute. We were going to be given a 2 bedroom apartment to share and since they were giving us the living quarters we would be paid 16.33 an hour instead of the 29.50 everyone else was getting. I had been in regular contact with everyone back home, they sometimes all got together in Sam and Emily's living room and called me on speaker. The same couldn't be said for Renee unfortunately, we never talked unless I remembered to call her and that had been less often now.

****In New York-****

I really loved New York, the people, the food. Everything was different from what I was use to, much more lively. It was the 3rd week of July and we had been here a month now. Darcy lasted all of 2 weeks as an intern at Von Doom Ind. She is naturally outgoing and says what she thinks so working with such stiff, serious people took a lot out of her. It was perfect for me, they constantly had me doing something and it was all a great big distraction, I was quickly moved up through all the interns when they realized I didn't put anything off. So while Darcy moved on to intern for Jane, a smart, kind lady I had instantly bonded with, I moved on to intern directly under the supervision of Ms. Storm, the director of genetic research. She had told me I had potential and she took me under her wing to give me more opportunity to grow and I definitely had learned many things, I had even met the CEO a few times. The latest project she was working on was in partnership with Mr. Richards. I wasn't allowed in all the meetings but I was absolutely fascinated by Mr. Richards theories of evolution and cosmic energy. I suspected Ms. Storm and Mr. Richards had a personal history, the way they looked at each other told me they still had feelings for each other but they acted as professional as could be. I really wish I could go with them to the space station, that would be an incredible experience but there's no way I could even ask, there would be no point in taking me since I play no role in the research, I would only get in the way of everyone.

When I got home I started on dinner as per usual, Darcy and Jane couldn't cook to save their lives. I really loved this city and a part of me wanted to stay but I was also very excited to move into the dorms at Culver university, it is in Willowdale, Virginia. Jane graduated from there with a major in Astrophysics, she said it's a small but beautiful town. Darcy was majoring in political science and I was going for computer science.

Walking into Ms. Storm's office the following Monday, I immediately knew something was wrong. Standing in the room was Mr. Von Doom, the CEO, Mr. Richards, and Ms. Storm. All looking at me expectantly.

"Take a seat Ms. Swan."

I was tempted to drop my butt to the floor right away but instead I took a deep breath and slowly walked to the only seat right in front of the 3 intimidating figures. Ms. Storm tried smiling at me to calm my nerves, but they were already shot to hell.

"Ms. Swan, as you are aware, we leave tomorrow for Reeds experiment. Jennifer called last night and unfortunately her son had another seizure and is in the hospital, she won't be able to go. Since I know how interested and enthused you were at the meetings with Reed, I spoke with him and Victor to see if you could replace Jennifer. They agreed to allow it under some strict rules. You are of course only going as an observer, you will not be tasked to do anything and you will not under any circumstance help anyone do anything, no matter what they say. If you want to go, you will go down to HR and sign new contracts and nondisclosure agreements. Bella it is very important that you understand that you can't get in anyone's way up there. I- no, WE are taking you because we see your hard work and responsibility. I have no doubt that you will value this opportunity but before you sign any contract, I need you to look me in the eyes and tell me you will listen to everything we tell you. Understood?"

I was sure they would take this opportunity away, they had to once they saw what an idiot I was being, my mind couldn't even begin to process what was going on.

"Me? You're… letting me space?! Is this really happening?"

She simply gave me a patient smile, waiting for me to pull myself together.

"I- I'm honored that you are letting me go, I truly value this, and I know how important it is to all of you. I swear I will stay out of your way, I'll sign anything!"

She smiled for a second but quickly took on a stern posture.

"You will not sign the paperwork right away, I want you to pick it up, go home and spend the rest of the day reading every fine print on them before signing them. There will be a document with all the requirements and guidelines. I want you to meet me here at 6:00 am sharp to review everything and brief you to the team."

I stumbled to my feet, still reeling.

"Understood, I will be here. Thank you, thank you all for this opportunity, I am very grateful."

I will never be sure of how I got home that day or when I dialed the phone, but Sam's panicked voice brought me out of my head and back into reality.

"Hello?"

Hearing him sigh in relief before he started talking again.

"Thank god! Why didn't you answer sooner? You had Em worried when she answered and you didn't say anything. what's wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong! You'll never believe it! Are the guys there? Get them together and put me on speaker!"

"Uh yeah, hold on, everyone is in the back yard. GUY'S! COME IN HERE! BELLA'S ON THE PHONE!"

I only had to wait a few seconds before I heard the scraping of chairs and I knew they were around the dining room table.

"Guys! I'm going to space!"

There was a big collective "What?!" along with Quil's "Is she drunk?"

"No Quil I'm not! I told you guys about Mr. Richards theories remember? Well some lady can't go because her son got sick so Ms. Storm said I can go if I don't touch anything and stay out of their way. Can you believe it?! I'm going to space tomorrow guys!"

"Tomorrow?!"

"Are you sure they weren't messing with you?"

"How safe is it?" Of course that had to come from Emily, she really had taken up the role of pack mother.

"Oh don't worry about that Em! We are going on the company's private space station. They invested billions of dollars into it, it's safe."

"Well that's great Bella, I'm very happy for you!" -Leah

"We know how hard you have been working, they must have seen it too Bells." -Paul

"Bella we are very proud of you! You have accomplished so much, in less than a year your life has completely changed and you have remained strong through all of it. Charlie would have been so incredibly proud of you sweetheart." -Emily

Tears stung my eyes thinking of Charlie, but I couldn't dwell on that now, not if I wanted to get through the rest of the day.

"I know Em. Thank you."

Seth cleared his throat and I had to smile remembering how much he hated awkward silences

"Sooo hey Bells, can you take a camera up there? You know, to take a picture of all the aliens?!"

"Seth! there's no such thing" I told him while trying to hold back my own laughter.

"Guys I gotta go, just wanted to call and give my good news. I have a lot of reading to do for tomorrow."

"Sure Bella, thanks for checking in. Hey, are you going to tell your mom?"

"Honestly Sam, I hadn't even thought about it. The last time I called her was right before boarding the flight to New York, she sounded surprised, like she forgot that I was moving here for the summer. I just don't think she cares anymore so no, I don't think I will. Coincidentally, can I put you as my emergency contact on these forms?"

I think I caught him off guard because he sounded surprised when he answered.

"Of course you can Bella."

"Thanks. Okay, talk to you guys as soon as I am back on earth! That sounds so strange!"

We all laughed as we said our goodbyes.

That night Darcy tackled me to the floor when she heard the news, even shy Jane was so excited that she joined us on the carpet. Jane spent over an hour helping me read through all the papers that night, she even explained some terms that I had never heard before.  
"I have colleagues that aspire to go do research in space, even as an observer like you, that would be the height of their careers and here you are doing it right off the bat! Be proud Bella."  
I hugged them both before going to sleep, knowing I would be long gone by the time they woke up tomorrow morning.

In the end I didn't sleep at all, I was just too excited. The next morning passed in a blur of protocols, everything was so official and very boring. It took us hours to finally take off and I honestly felt like I would puke when we did but the feeling quickly passed. Once we were able to walk around, Mr. Richards and his partner Mr. Grimm started getting everything ready, everyone was given a suit including me and we were instructed to put in on. It was clear Mr. Grimm was not happy with how skin tight the suits were.

"I don't know whether I should be flying or doing swan lake in these suits, I mean who the hell came up with these?"

Just as he finished his sentence Ms. Storm comes around the corner and answers him.

"Victor did, the synthetics act as a second skin, adapting to your body's individual needs."

"See now that means, it keeps the cool stuff cool and the hot stuff hot."

Her little brother answered. I think his name is Johnny but we haven't talked other than when we were introduced and he tried flirting with me. His personality actually reminded me of Paul. I thought he had a sexy smirk and was overall very good looking but too straight forward in his sexual innuendos.

"Wow, fantastic! Material made from self regulating unstable molecules. I've been working on a formula for this."

"Great mind think alike."

Ms. Storm responded kind of hurt, I think she was hoping that he would take interest in her. The views were simply stunning, I didn't have a camera but even if I did, no way would a picture capture this beauty. After getting a tour of the whole station, we were led to a room full of monitors.

"We can monitor the cloud's approach and observe the tests from here."

"Is it safe?"

"The shields on the station should protect us."

Mr. Grimm's face twisted into a grimace.

"Should?"

Mr. Von Doom came around the corner then.

"What's the matter Ben? Getting paranoid in your old age?"

Mr. Richards chose to ignore him and spoke directly to Mr. Grimm.

"Lets start loading the samples, get your suit ready Ben."

"So I see you are still doing the heavy lifting? Maybe you should have stayed in the lab, field work never suited you."

He had an arrogant smirk on his face and in that moment the asshole looked just like Edward did when he got me to do something I wasn't comfortable with. I missed Mr. Grimm's response but I did hear Mr. Von Doom ask for a moment alone with Ms. Storm. Mr. Richards led Mr. Grimm and I out, I stayed out of the way with him as we watched Mr. Grimm go in the airlock chamber then out of the station. I still couldn't stop marveling at the incredible view.

I was sitting against the wall by the monitors and Ms. Storm was not back yet. Almost 10 minutes had passed since Mr. Grimm went to put the flowers in position. The monitors suddenly started beeping and Mr. Richards got a panicked look on his face as he read the screens.

"That can't be right."

The speaker announced **"Event threshold in T minus 9 minutes and 47 seconds."**

"That's impossible! It should be 7 hours!"

I kept quiet, knowing he was talking to himself and voicing my nerves would not help. He quickly got up and ran to the room Mr. Von Doom and Ms. Storm were in. I stayed where I was, not wanting to get in the middle of anything. They both came running back with an annoyed looking Mr. Von Doom following slowly behind.

"Victor, Reed's right, we have less than 6 minutes!"

Mr. Richards ran to where I was, by the air chamber. We could see Mr. Grimm from here and Johnny asked what was going on. Mr. Richards spoke quickly into the ear piece he had on.

"Ben you need to get inside now!"

"I ain't done arranging your flowers yet, egghead!"

"Ben turn around!"

He paused and turned to look before his fearful voice responded.

"Guys I'm not gonna make it!"

"Ben you gotta jump! It's the only way!"

He gave a good jump but lack of gravity was working against him and slowing him down. The cloud was coming fast. Ms. Storm ran in and pushed me into the room where we had left Mr. Von Doom.

"Victor is closing the shields. Stay here Bella!"

The last thing I saw before the door finished closing was Mr. Richards, Ms. Storm, and her brother all with their hands on the glass of the air chamber, waiting and watching for Mr. Grimm. I choked back on a sob as the situation actually hit me. Anger overtook me as I looked at the man before me, he had closed the shields on innocent people knowing they could die, just so that he could be safe. A staff member ran in then and pressed a button that started to close the door he had just came through.

"Sir! Please follow me, it seems this area is not as secure as we thought."

Mr. Von Doom had already started walking towards the man and quickly ducked under the closing door. When I started running towards the door my body chose the worst moment to show just how easily I can trip over nothing. Looking back when he heard the thump from my fall, he merely sneered and turned to keep walking. The door finished closing and I stayed on the ground, scooting until my back was against a wall.

I didn't know if the cosmic energy would get in here, if it did, I didn't know if it would kill me; what I did know was that I felt white hot fury ripping through my body. I was never a violent person, never had I gotten in a fight with anyone but at the moment my head filled with people that had let me down in my life. Mr. Von Doom had shown his true colors, he had a colder heart than James had ever shown. The Cullen's, they should have taken care of Victoria, they should have stayed away from me if they knew Edward would never turn me. I tried to hate Victoria and blame only her for killing Charlie but the truth was that I blamed Edward more. He chose to leave, he took my choices away from me when he left, he took my future. I stupidly chose to trust them and let them in even ignoring my instincts, for a crush, for curiosity.

I even felt hatred for my own mother at the moment, she took my time away from Charlie because of her own needs of adventure, she knew what she really wanted out of life and the responsibility of a child didn't fit into the equation, she was a selfish person. I recall the conversation on the phone when I called her crying, telling her Charlie had died. Her voice didn't even waver in a hint of sadness as she told me she would call me back, they were about to announce the raffle winners in a festival she was in. She never called back, and she never showed up to the funeral.

As the count down on the monitor ended, I saw a pinkish element enter through the base of the door, seconds later it reached me and I felt my skin start to burn and my throat start to constrict. The burning escalated until it surpassed the pain of James's bite, it had me screaming and withering on the floor. Flashing the faces of the pack and Darcy through my memory one last time, I finally gave into the heat and took a deep breath of the cosmic air.


	2. Chapter 2

_**They call her Human Torch! Chapter 2**_

Beep...Beep...Beep...Beep… Slowly the sounds around me seemed to get louder and louder until my last memories played out in my head. My eyes fly open as I jump off of whatever bed I was on, gasping for fresh air, 2 hands grab my shoulders trying to steady me.

"Bella, Bells you're okay! Calm down!"

"Sam?! What are you doing here? Where are we?"

He wraps his arms around me and tightens his hold as he talks to me.

"I'm here because I'm your emergency contact, we are in some fancy, private hospital where they brought you after the accident. They didn't tell me what went wrong or what happened to you, the company just had some stiff asshole call me to say you were in the hospital and that they would have a jet sent to collect me. I swear we all went crazy, I had to do an alpha command so that they would stay behind and keep doing patrols."

"I feel perfectly fine Sam, honestly I'm not even sore. Where are the others though?"

"Others? You mean the old folks down the hall?"

"No no. I mean Ms. Storm, her brother Johnny, Mr. Richards, and Mr. Grimm. Did they make it out okay too?"

"I don't know Bella, like I said, this is a small private hospital in the middle of nowhere. There's only 2 doctors and a handful of nurses around here. Just stay here, I'll go get a doctor."

He walked out and came back less than 2 minutes later with a man that looked to be in his late 50's.

"Hello Ms. Swan. I'm glad to see you are awake. We did a full body exam and could not find anything wrong in your vitals. There is nothing to worry about as far as we can tell. We were told you breathed in a dangerous chemical at work, thankfully it looks like you simply lacked oxygen and fainted. We did do a CT scan and x-ray your chest to check that your lungs were not damaged but everything looks great. We didn't even have to do a blood gas test."

"Thank you sir, but I wouldn't really call cosmic energy a chemical. There were 4 others that were exposed to the cloud as well, are they here somewhere?"

"Cosmic cloud? Pardon my lack of knowledge when it comes to laboratory terms. it's been a while since this old man was in a classroom. The paramedics only brought you in my dear, so your friends must be fine. Now I'm sure you can be back to work as soon as tomorrow and we can get you discharged in less than an hour I bet. Before you leave we would like to check your vitals one last time to see if anything might have changed now that you are up and about. Now I shouldn't have to tell you but if you start coughing or find that you are out of breath then I want you to come right back and get examined. You got that young lady?"

"Yes, I understand but sir I just don't feel like you understand what happened -"

"Oh it's quite alright dear, I didn't mean to make it sound like you did something wrong, everyone has accidents, even if you were following the rules of the laboratory. Now, your employer must be quite worried about you, they left instructions to be called as soon as you woke up. I'll go take care of that personally, excuse me."

As he left, Sam gave me a strange look.

"What's wrong?"

"I just have a bad feeling, I don't think he knows what really happened. Sam there's snow outside the fucking window, we clearly aren't in New York! Where are we and why am I the only one here? There's something that they aren't telling me."

"I'm sorry Bella, we were worried about you and since it was a private jet I didn't even ask where we were going."

I sighed and leaned against his shoulder. I think I must have fallen asleep at one point because I woke up to a nurse telling me that she had to take my blood pressure and my temperature.

"Oh my! I'm sorry hun, this must be broken. Let me run down to the supply room and get another."

I took the thermometer out and widened my eyes when I saw it read 209°F. Sam put his hand to my forehead and gasped at the same time I did.

"Bella, you feel hot to me."

"You don't feel as hot as you guys usually do.."

I started panicking

"I- Sam I don't feel sick. I feel fine. What if there is something wrong and they can't see it because of the radiation of the cosmic storm?"

I started hyperventilating and the more I thought about the temperature the hotter I felt.

"BELLA!"

I looked to Sam but froze when I saw fire on my hands, flame coming out of them and spreading up my arms slowly.

"Sam.. Sam what's going on?! I can't feel it!"

"Bella calm down! Just- just take a deep breath and turn it off."

"I didn't turn it on Sam! How do you expect me to turn it off?!"

It seemed the higher I screamed the more the flames would spread through my body, even starting to burn my hospital gown.

"Bella listen to me! You have to calm down! Just think of Leah and Paul, you know how they always lose their tempers and have to go phase to calm down? Think about it, think of happy memories, hell think of ice, cold stuff, focus on turning it off. Just take a deep breath and calm down."

I just need to stop thinking what this means, I just need to clear my head. Taking some shaky but deep breathes I slowly calmed down until I opened my eyes and saw that I was standing half naked in front of Sam, I let out a startled yelp and just like that my control slipped and the flames were back, surrounding my whole body this time. My hospital gown fell in ashes to the ground and I closed my eyes trying to visualize them only covering my intimate parts and I felt it working. Sam got the bed sheet with wide eyes and put it up so he wouldn't see anything. Slowly but surely it was easier to get the heat to go away this time. I reached out for the sheet and wrapped it around myself.

"Sam.." I whispered his name but couldn't say anything else.

"It's okay Bella, you're okay. Look we'll drive home and there you will have the whole pack to support you and help you through all of this. For now lets just go before that nurse-"

"Knock knock!"

An older man came in with a brief case and a fake grin on his face.

"Hello, Isabella Swan? My name is Bryan Vitter. I am part of the team of lawyers for Von Doom Industries, in light of recent events the company has decided to give you a very generous severance package and the obvious early termination of your internship. I have some papers for you to sign as well as some matters I would like to discuss in private."

Sam was very tense beside me, just running a soothing hand on my back.

"I'm not interested in any pay off. I just want to know where everyone else is at, why am I the only one here?"

"Well Ms. Swan you were the only one injured. The team behind you was well protected under the shield they are all fine and at home safe. Of course they are shaken but fine. You were exposed minimally and fortunately your doctor says there are no ill effects. Unfortunately the team that was in the unprotected chamber had no coverage and there were casualties as expected in this type of horrible situation. There was just enough body ligaments to identify their bodies and we are in the process of setting up a memorial for them with no expense to the family of course."

A feeling that I can only describe as an electric current ran through my body as I sunk down to my knees and felt the spasm of pain that came from my heart. A strangled cry escaped my lips and continuous tears ran down my cheeks. I could hear Sam telling me to breath, to calm down but I couldn't. The last time I saw them kept flashing through my head, I caught the smell of smoke and I'm sure Sam did too because he jumped up and asked Mr. Vitter to give me a moment.

"Bella please, I know how hard this must be for you but you have to calm down."

"Wh- what are you? How are you doing that?! Your fingers are on fire!"

We snapped our head to the door and saw Mr. Vitter standing there pale. Sam growled under his breath and went to shut the door so no one else would hear him.

"I've never done this before, it must be some kind of side effect to the unstable molecules of the cosmic energy."

"I must call my employer, this changes things. We have to rewrite this contract."

"Wait! What if I don't want anyone to find out about this?"

"I must inform my colleagues, but I agree, this information cannot become public. The lives lost and the failed experiment already gave the company bad coverage on the news, stocks have gone down. If the public found out that the company turned you into one of those mutant freaks then the whole company could collapse. Wait here, don't move and don't show anyone…. That."

We could see the disgust in his eyes when he said 'mutant.' Sam was trembling beside me but stopped when he left. I turned nervously to him not entirely sure on what to say.

"What do you think?"

"These guys are only looking out for themselves, they could easily be the enemy. Just make sure you thoroughly read what he wants you to sign and make sure you never let any of them take your blood or experiment on you. Never allow that. Understood?"

"Yeah."

"Good. Don't worry Bella, we've got your back, we'll figure this out and get through it."

I was focusing on taking deep and calming breathes when Mr. Vitter came back in looking nervous.

"I need to meet in person with my colleagues to come up with an acceptable agreement."

"So what am I suppose to do until then?"

"I believe the hospital has your bag full of possessions you took on the trip, until we write up a suitable agreement then it would be wise to lay low and not return to New York. News of the accident has reached headlines and they know there is 1 person that was exposed and survived. There's news vans stationed outside of the company and every hospital in New York. They don't know who you are or where and we would like to keep it that way. We need a week to write up something new and have it finalized. Do you know where you will be?"

Sam put his arm around my shoulder then, taking over.

"She will be staying with my fiance and I in Washington."

He nodded as he took out a note pad and handed it over to Sam.

"Very well, write down the address and a contact number here. I will fly out sometime in the next 10 business days and we will go over the paperwork then."

"..Okay, thanks."

"Before I leave Ms. Swan, I was informed that a previous intern, your roommate, has been calling the company constantly. She has taken to talking with the news casters outside the company, telling them that we have not informed her if you are the survivor or one of the deceased. Fortunately she has not shared your name yet but we would appreciate it if you called and shut her down. Preferably without your.. details."

"There's nothing wrong with her, if that's what you're implying."

Sam had started shaking again and was glaring.

"Sir, you and I have very different ideas of what is wrong."

He turned to exit the room before pausing for a second on his way out.

"I will be in touch."

It had taken a few minutes to really process everything and I didn't really know what direction my mind was going.

"Come on Bella, lets get you discharged and find somewhere to rent a car. Is there clothes in the possessions that the hospital has from you?"

"Yeah, its just a backpack."

I went to the bathroom while talking and looked up to the mirror while washing my hands.

"SAM! What the hell happened to me?! I look like I went through the damn change!"

He approached me slowly, waiting for me to burst into flames again but relaxed when I didn't.

"When I first got here, I noticed the changes right away. I wasn't sure how this thing affected you but I knew it had. You are still you though Bella."

"How?! How am I still me? I look like fucking Malibu Barbie! I'm sun kissed Sam! I've always been pale and suddenly I'm curvy and a little tan? I was exposed to cosmic energy Sam, this shouldn't be a side effect! If anything, that much cosmic radiation should have left a part of me deformed or something! What if the radiation somehow affected the residual venom from James's bite? Look! it's not cold anymore, it actually feels hotter than the rest of my skin now. Do I smell like a vampire? What if I'm half vampire now and need blood?"

"Listen to yourself! Stop and calm down! Your hair is literally on fire right now. Bella if any part of you smelled anything like a leech, do you really think I would be so calm? Under all the physical changes you are still Bella. You are just working yourself up by letting your head run with all the things that can go wrong. Sure you smell a little different, less flowery and more woodsy but its your personality that I'm having a conversation with. Look lets go home, you will feel better. Cheer up, we'll have a good laugh at the pack's reaction when they see you."

I snorted and let him pull me out of the bathroom.

"Yeah, I can imagine. By the way, is woodsy even a word?"

"Shut up Bella."

"Okay."

Two hours later we were finally on the road, me in some old clothes that now fit too snug around my hips and downright restricted any movement around my chest.

"How long will it take to get home?"

Sam shrugged and looked in thought.

"I'd say 20 hours at least. Not including any stops."

"Why do you think they placed me so far from New York?"

"Honestly Bella, it's hard to say. The way that man was speaking, it's like they were prepared to say and do anything to make the company look better to the public. He was downright cold when he spoke about the 'casualties' as if they were ants being experimented on. What really happened up there?"

I started telling him about it and the tears kept gathering in my eyes no matter how much I wiped them away. I could feel the heat wanting to be let out but it was easier now to keep it in after the first time.

"Everything was going fine, we were supposed to have 7 hours, it was plenty of time but suddenly the monitors started beeping and announced that the cloud was coming in 9 minutes! Mr. Richards started freaking out and went to get Ms. Storm and Mr. Von Doom, when they came back everything just happened so quickly, they were telling Mr. Grimm to jump towards the station but the cloud was coming too fast, Mr. Von Doom didn't even care about the danger Mr. Grimm was in, he didn't even walk towards the glass. Ms. Storm pushed me into the monitor room and told me Mr. Von Doom wanted to close the shields, he was selfish and just wanted to protect himself. He didn't tell Johnny or Mr. Richards that he was closing it, he just did it. If Ms. Storm wouldn't have put me in that room I would be dead too. Some guy came into the monitor room and told us it wasn't secure enough. We had to move fast so he pressed the button that started closing the door but I tripped on my way there and he didn't even make a move to help me or see if I would make it, he just kept going. I was so angry and disappointed at everything, I just felt so stupid and helpless. The countdown finished and I saw the cosmic air break through the seal of the door and soon my whole body felt like it was on fire. I passed out and woke up in the hospital."

"It all makes sense now, the way the lawyer kept talking about agreements. That bastard knows he fucked up. He knows that if you go public with that story then everything he has ever done to build his company and his image, it will all go down to ashes. Literally."

I stayed silent for a moment, thinking on Sam had said and it did make sense. He acted as if he expected me to die, but why? We were there to experiment on the cosmic energy, he didn't know how it would effect us. There's no way he could have.

"Should I? Go public with this? I mean it's his fault they died, Mr. Grimm wouldn't have made it on time but still, he could have saved 3 lives. He took their choice away when he closed the shield without telling them. He killed them."

Sam sighed and looked at me intently for a minute before answering me.

"You know we will support you 100% if you tell your story, but Bella, you would have to expose all of you. I agree that he has to pay, I believe he should be taken to court, but you have seen what people say about mutants on the news, you know there's people fighting for mutant rights but most of the people just say nothing because they know they aren't accepting. You can't be in the moment about this. Just sit on it for a few day's, think about how much it would change your life and just think about both sides. How much does this mean to you?"

"I know people won't care how it happened, they will just see me as a mutant, like the rest. This is really important to me though. Ms. Storm was my mentor, she went out of her way, she- she just didn't deserve- I wouldn't be here Sam, not without her. I grieve for Mr. Richards, Mr. Grimm, and Johnny, but I need to do this for Ms. Storm. I know what it means and I am prepared for the consequences."

"I think, you think you are, but you're not. Just please, listen to me and think on it for a few day's, we can wait to hear from the lawyer and we can watch the news to see what kind of stuff they are saying. Yeah?"

I nodded but didn't respond, I would think on this, but if they said one good thing about that man, I know I wouldn't waste much time after that.

"Thank you."

"No, thank _you _for being here and supporting me. You are a great alpha."

He smiled warmly at me.

"You may not be a wolf, and you may not be an imprint, but you are a pack sister and we all love you. Remember that, always."

In the end it took 2 days, 5 food stops, 4 bathroom stops, 1 night at a hotel, and 2 shirts that I burned through, before getting home. I didn't mean to burn 2 of my favorite t-shirts, but after not being able to move hours on end because of how tight they were.. well my control slipped. Sam stopped at a target to buy me a new shirt but didn't want to be seen shopping at the women's section so here we were, driving past forks and into La Push and me in a 3xl men's shirt that hid all my new curves.

If I was being honest, I was both happy and nervous. I wanted to see the pack, they had become like family to me but I didn't know how they would realistically react. Hell, I had only lasted a couple weeks in New York and already my life was different, I knew they would tell me what Sam had been telling me, that I was still Bella, just physically different. But I wasn't. I felt different, what mattered to me just last week suddenly was the last thing on my mind. I couldn't picture myself moving into a dorm and going to school in Virginia with Darcy anymore. My goal to get me out of the dark hole that was forks, was Culver University, but I could not start school in less than a month, how could I? My priorities were different now. I was having trouble with what they were exactly, but I knew I couldn't just continue on the path I had set before. I didn't want to stay here, I would until I could have full control of myself but after that? Where would I go? There would be no job for me in New York anymore, and we would only have the apartment until mid August. My life really didn't have a direction anymore.

"What are you thinking about?"

"Just wondering if maybe you should go in and explain what happened before they see me?"

"Bella, they aren't going to react badly. They would never do that to you."

"Of course. That's not what I meant. I just feel like if they see me right off the bat then they aren't going to stop and listen to what we are saying you know? I think without me there then they would pay attention to everything and I wouldn't have to repeat it later."

"You have a point. Will you stay in the car then? It's a rental, you can't light it up you know."

He broke out laughing at the look on my face but froze when I punched his arm.

"Another thing to add to the list."

"What?"

"That really hurt Bella."

"The punch?"

"Yeah, if I were human, that would have left a bruise! So super strength? I've noticed you haven't tripped since we left the hospital, not even stumbled."

I was surprised when I realized he was right.

"I hadn't noticed. Not until now but you are right. All of these are vampire traits Sam."

"That's not true, they could very well be normal mutant genes."

"No, my fire? Yes. Balance and strength? No."

"Agree to disagree then. Alright, here we are. I called Emily from the hotel last night and she assured me they would all be here, you sure you want to do it like this?"

"Yeah, its the best way. I'll just be on the beach. Don't make that face! I'll stay nearby, and if I have the sudden urge to set the world on fire then I'll just hop in the water."

That made us both smile and let him relax a bit.

"Is there something you want me to leave out?"

"No, well.. yes. don't tell them you saw me half naked at the hospital."

We both flinched at the reminder and went our separate ways sporting slight blushes at the uncomfortable memory.

Getting to the beach was easy, I chose to walk further up, to the cliffs that overlooked the coast. It was a cold day so there wasn't a single person in sight but the temperature didn't make me shiver like it would have before. Very easily I lost track of time, thinking about the same things over and over and at the same time thinking nothing at all. I didn't make any decisions or stick to one particular topic. I just took in the view and let myself relax completely for the first time in what felt like months. I never noticed the start of a sunset and I didn't hear the footsteps coming up behind me.

"HOLY SHIT! You weren't lying!"

"Quil!"

In an instant I had turned around and saw everyone standing by me with wide eyes, for a second I thought my looks had really shocked them but I realized my whole body was on fire, even my face and hair. I didn't feel out of control like all the other times, I was completely relaxed and let my guard down, I had been sitting here for over an hour and I never felt that I was on fire the whole time. Having everyone still stare at me made my calm go away and with it went the fire, I was already sitting on the ground so I quickly brought my knees up to my chest and crossed my ankles, hoping it covered all the important stuff. Sam took a step towards me and I couldn't help but flinch, knowing this is what he was afraid would happen. I felt like I had failed him and my eyes filled with tears for the hundredth time in the past few day's.

"I'm so sorry Sam! I wasn't mad or upset, I swear! I hadn't even noticed until now. I- I didn't feel it,-"

"It's okay Bella, you're okay. We don't blame you. Here, take my shirt."

Once I put his gigantic shirt on, everyone took it as a sign that the could come closer. Emily. Leah, and Kim all cried with me while hugging me and whispering comforting words in my ear. Paul came in after Leah let me go and crushed me against him.

"I'm no one to talk about control, but I will do everything I can to help you. Okay? I mean what's the worst that can happen? So you burn a building or two down? Just flash them and they will leave you alone! Damn, you're sexy Bella!"

He grabbed my arm and made me do a turn before smacking my ass and jumping out of the way right as I was about to slap him.

"I mean you were cute before but now you are hot!"

They all started laughing when I settled for sticking my tongue out at him instead. Jacob was next in line to hug me although it felt a little awkward with him since our friendship had really suffered after he told me he would never see me like a sister. I knew Paul didn't either but it was different, Paul had become my best friend. He understood the pain I was going through from losing his parents and he let me see past his tough exterior. Jacob tried to comfort me as well but in the back of my head I knew it was just because he wanted more from me. Quil, Seth, Embry, and Jared all hugged me as well but mostly made fun of me, saying I had only been in New York for 7 weeks and already all the trouble I was in. I actually agreed there. When we got back to Sam and Em's house she tried giving me some clothes but she was even smaller than what I had originally been so Leah had to run home and bring me some clothes that actually fit. I wasn't as tall as her but I was curvier now so I ended up filling them fine.

"Don't worry Bella, Kim and I can go shopping for clothes your size while you train with the pack tomorrow."

I looked to Sam confused.

"Train? For what?"

"We talked it over and agreed that you should know your full potential so we are going to test your speed, strength, balance, sight, anything that we notice is different about you. We are also going to push you Bella, you may hate us by the end of it but we need to make you lose control as much as we can so that you learn to reign it in."

I let out a deep breath but nodded in understanding. I knew I was going to have trouble in some areas but I don't think controlling it would be too hard. It seemed the more I let it out, the more control I had over it. Leah sat next to me and bumped her shoulder with mine.

"You better get use to burning your clothes off in front of the guys. I use to hit them if they ever saw me naked, even if it wasn't on purpose but now I could care less. It takes a while to get use to it but you will."

I highly doubt that but I simply nodded and kept the conversation flowing towards other subjects. Suddenly it hit me that I still hadn't called Darcy and I felt so bad I jumped up and scared everyone in the house.

"Sorry, I just remembered that I need to call Darcy. I left my phone in my apartment since it wasn't allowed on the station. Can I use yours?"

"Of course, here. You can even take it outside or to the guest bedroom if you want some more privacy."

"Thanks. How much do you think I can tell her? I think I should wait until I see her in person but what if she comes down here?"

"Tell her as much as you can Bells, just tell her to stop talking to the news and that you will go back when you feel ready. Stick to the truth as much as possible."

I chose to walk into the guest room instead of going outside. I was dreading the call because I knew how much she was going to question me on everything, I wanted to tell her everything but as much as she loved me I knew she would have trouble believing that I could suddenly spout fire, once she saw it though I knew she would think it is the coolest thing. With a deep breath I dialed her number.


	3. Chapter 3

****They call her Human Torch! Chapter 3****

It's funny how your body reacts to things while you are unconscious, I'm sure I shifted all over this bed last night as I slept but it isn't until now that I am awake, that I feel the pain shoot through my joints and muscles. Last night had been night 4 of training and it had started just like all the other nights, I raced against the guys and the result was the same as the other 3 times, they were faster by a couple of seconds. We tested my reflexes and had seen that they were as good as theirs, my balance had not been tested but it didn't need to be, I still had not fallen since I had gotten here, not even when I was running and jumping through the forest and all its uneven, root covered ground. My sight was the first test since all the training had been done at night, it was not as good as theirs but instead of seeing a pitch black void, I actually saw through the shadows, like someone turning a lamp to the lowest and dimmest setting, but hey, at least I wasn't bumping into trees as I ran, that's all that really mattered.

Last night was different however, it wasn't the taunting or the pushing me around to make me lose control, after the first night that they brought up Charlie.. well I had started a bonfire, but letting it all out helped me grieve and gave me great control. It seemed I only lost it when I was pushed far enough to verbally lash out. They also learned to bring 5 fire extinguishers with them every night, just in case. Last night Sam decided I was ready to be pushed even farther, the farthest that they could possibly push me. I was not aware of what they said in the pack mind but I had learned to understand the general mood of the conversation by their nods and eyes. We had just finished setting up some targets to see if I could aim the fire or separate it from my body when I noticed all the wolves tense, they all sniffed at the air coming from the west, my sense of smell had not improved to their level as far as we could tell so I wasn't sure what was happening until they all growled in union.

I felt a burning heat settle in my spine and spread through my veins at the implication of that growl, it could only be a vampire and the only vampire that had been making rounds lately had been Victoria. Just thinking about her had me moving faster than before in that direction. This wasn't racing, this was an objective, a motivation. I felt the fire in my legs burn hotter than it ever had, helping me run faster, the wolves were far behind me now. They weren't expecting me to run and if I did, the speed caught them completely off guard. I could barely feel my bare feet hitting the soil at every stride, never staying long enough to start to sink in, I had burned my shoes off a mile or two back. I was running with no direction, waiting for any sign of her but finding none, not until 3 minutes later when I heard a crack, a simple sound that meant the world to me. I felt my whole body flame up, conjuring every image I had of Charlie, burning to go faster, to surround her in heat and avenge my dad. Every emotion seemed to rise up to the surface guilt, grief, anger, desperation, I wanted that bitch dead more than I have ever wanted anything in my entire life, and I was so close to her that I left flames in my tracks, I swore I wasn't even touching the ground anymore, I couldn't feel it, I couldn't feel or really focus on anything other than my instinct to get to her. I wasn't sure what would happen when I did get there, we hadn't tested my strength yet but I knew fire was a surely on my side, I felt myself start to slip away, pure instinct was guiding me, I couldn't even see what was right in front of me anymore.

I was close, I could hear panting and the sound of feet hitting the ground, the rustle of leaves and her frantic movement, in a split second I caught up to the shadow and leaped on it, letting go of any hold I had I pushed it all out of me and onto her, I faintly heard a strangled cry and growls as she tried bucking me off her. I started gaining more control as I heard the pack finally catching up, I saw them out of the corner of my eye one second before I felt a blow from my right side, pain shot through my body as I was thrown off of Victoria, flying across the clearing, stopping only when the left side of my body hit a tree.

Fury was my first reaction, betrayal my second. I looked up ready to fight them all to get back to her but when I looked to her she was not there. A giant black bear had taken her place. I stilled as I looked at the lifeless body of the animal, deformed with ash and bloody flesh hanging off bones. The sight made me gag, I had been so driven and determined to the point that I lost rational sense and it became a fantasy, an apparition. Soon after seeing everything with clear eyes, shame pooled in the pit of my stomach, I felt the now familiar sting of tears while I looked up to see the surprised faces of the wolves, all in disbelief of the destruction I was capable of. One by one they looked towards me and their surprise turned to sadness. They all phased back then and there but before they could move towards me or say anything, the unbearable pain from the blows I received left and right took over and I felt my eyes roll back as all went dark.

I felt the shame last night and I felt it again now. I wanted to feel it for the mess I surely left in my wake, I wanted to feel it for the poor bear who paid for my recklessness, but I didn't. I felt shame because I was not sorry, I was positive that the growls last night had been fake and that there was no scent of anything out of place, I was sure it was a test that I had miserably failed but I couldn't be sorry. If I could do it all over I wouldn't change a thing. If I ever saw Victoria I would pursue her just as I though I had last night. I hated her more than even Edward and I would get my revenge for Charlie. My thoughts only confirmed what I had been thinking the past few day's, I wasn't the same anymore. I knew now more than ever that I couldn't stay here, no matter how much they accepted me, I didn't fit in, this is not my home, I don't have one but I would make one somewhere far away. They are my family and I loved them but I didn't truly fit in, I never did. More than anything I just wanted to go back to New York, I felt like I could truly blend in and be unique at the same time there, like the possibilities and the roads to a new life were endless. I made a decision then, I would finish any training they wanted until they were satisfied and I would wait until the lawyer called, after that I would go start a life, I would take whatever opportunity came my way to start fresh.

A knock on the door interrupted my thoughts, Paul was poking his head in and came to lay next to me when he saw I was awake.

"Hey." I laughed at such a simple thing to say but quickly regretted it when I felt the pain.

"Hello."

"I'm never going to complain about sharing a bed with you, but why are you still up here? You're not avoiding us are you? You should know that won't work."

"Honestly? It just hurts too much to move."

He grimaced in thought before breaking out in laughter.

"Well I think you just want to be in my arms! You just have to say so you know, nothing wrong with being a little dominant, especially in the bedroom."

He got up and peeled the sheets back, exposing my body in just a bra and underwear, he turned serious as we looked down and saw both sides of my body covered in nasty black and blue puffy looking bruises. He sighed and closed his eyes.

"You really do have the worst luck, all the amazing things you can do and advanced healing isn't one of 'em. Well not at our level at least. Sam and Emily said you developed the marks a lot faster so they expect they will go away faster than a normal human."

More gentle than I thought Paul was capable of, he lifted me before going to the dresser in the room and grabbing a huge t-shirt and slipping it over my head. He lifted me higher as we went down the stairs and straight to the kitchen where he sat me down and served me a big plate of food. Soon after I started eating the whole pack seemed to congregate in the doorway. I sighed and put down my fork.

"Just come in guy's. Say what you need to say."

Sam was the first one that came in and sat across from me while Paul sat right next to me and put his arm along the back of my chair. The rest of the pack came in then and sat or stood where they could.

"Bella, last night was my idea, I thought it would push you to control the fire and ask us to lead you to her but I just didn't anticipate you going haywire. I should have considered all possibilities and I'm sorry I didn't. It was also me who shoved you off the bear, I wanted to snap you out of it but I only hurt you. I didn't think about my strength."

"Sam it's okay. Once I realized the situation I had put you in, I can't blame you for trying to snap me out of it. How much damage did I do?"

The pack all laughed at the thought

"You gotta see it to believe it. We can do the target practice with you tonight-"

Paul interrupted Sam with a growl in his voice.

"Are you crazy?! Don't you see the pain she is in? You have to give her time to heal."

I wanted to protest and tell him I was fine after seeing the guilt in Sam's face but the truth was that I was thankful, I couldn't even imagine the pain I would be in if I attempted to stand on my own 2 feet right now, let alone walking all through the forest.

"You've seen the bruises, it will take days-"

"Paul that's enough! He apologized already. Just drop it."

The next night we sat around the dining table again while the other half of the pack sat in the living room to eat. I shifted to find a more comforting position but it was useless with the sore feeling all through my body. Though the night's rest had helped a lot with the pain, I was still recovering. Paul stood up to get a 3rd serving but was interrupted by Emily walking in from the living room with Kim, both gave me nervous glances as they talked hurriedly to the room.

"You guys need to come see the news, quick!"

As Paul scooped me up to get me to the couch faster, I became pale with what I was seeing. The channel was on view of Von Doom Ind. Mr. Von Doom and 2 other men were being escorted out in handcuffs being followed by his group of lawyers and who the news said were his investors. I only recognized 4 or 5 of the men and I knew his assistant was one of the men being arrested, the other had a lab coat on so I could only assume him to be one of the researchers for the company. There was a van full of officers that entered the building next. The footage kept going on replay for over an hour until a man in his late 40's came out with some papers to talk with the press and release a statement.

"_Good evening, I am Johnathan Evert, until recently I was an investor for this company along with many __colleagues.__ In light of recent events all the investors here at Von Doom Industries decided to pull their money out and continue on to other ventures, however our lead colleague Stanley Lent was found murdered Thursday night, Victor Von Doom had become the lead suspect. While searching his office some footage was found of both the space station incident and the death of Stanley Lent that gives reason for further investigation, we are not allowed to answer any further questions until a court hearing but I was allowed to release a statement on behalf of the company to say that until further notice, all business exchanges and research has been put on hold and the building is being put on lock down. We have no further information that we can share but will release another statement along with the New York City police department as soon as we can. Thank you all for your __understanding and __cooperation, rest assured that we will fix this as soon as possible."_

I felt unsure of how to feel at the moment. I was happy that he was being apprehended and that he would be in the public light as the real Victor Von Doom, not the front he puts for the paper, yet at the same time I was upset that another person had to die at his hands. Footage of the space station, I hadn't though about that, I never imagined there was cameras in the labs, if there were then it could prove he was guilty and that was all that mattered. But if the footage became public then everyone would see it and my identity wouldn't be private anymore. Sam had told me before if I was ready to go public in order to get justice for Ms. Storm, the answer was yes then and it still is now. I'm going back to New York earlier than anticipated.

"I'm coming with you."

I turned to Paul, as confused as everyone else seemed to be.

"I know that look, and I'm coming with you. You can hardly stand on your own Bells."

Paul and I were on a plane to New York, we had to wait overnight to get a flight but I was finally on my way, to my surprise Paul had never been on a plane before so while I gripped his hand in fear that I may somehow lose control and also fear of turbulence making my body ache more than it already did, he gripped mine in just fear I guess.

"Paul you know these things are designed by professionals right?"

"I'm not scared, shut up Bella! You are going to jinx it! God why did I even think to fly with you? You have the worst luck in the world, if this plane crashes there is no doubt in my mind that you will be to blame."

I couldn't hold in my laughter and got some snide looks until I settled down again. Paul just glared at me but I could see the humor in his eyes.

"If the plane goes down then I can try flying us away."

"Really Bella? Plane goes down and you are counting on some miraculous flying powers to kick in and save you? Kid.. there is something wrong in your head."

"Idiot! I'm serious, the night when I lost it, the flames where so strong they were coming out of everywhere and I swear for a moment I couldn't feel the ground under my feat."

"Well then I guess it would be something to look into when we get back home. That would be fucking amazing though!"

We kept quiet for the rest of the flight but I couldn't stop shifting around. The bruises had gone down a great bit and Sam said it looked like my healing was faster than normal humans but nothing like the wolves, they were still blue and some of them still had a purple ring but I could at least move without tearing up. Paul kept looking at me every time I shifted around, I knew he felt bad for me and he didn't really understand why I felt compelled to come back now that Von Doom had been arrested, I didn't know what I could do or how I could help but I knew that if anything I could at least go to the hearing and also be able to finally tell Darcy in person what was going on. I had debated whether I should tell Jane as well, I didn't know her too well but her and Darcy had clicked instantly, so had we but unlike Darcy I hadn't spent much time with her, she was very kind and smart. I knew she could help me in the scientific side of things the one way the wolves couldn't. I had gotten permission from Sam and Billy last night to tell Darcy about the Cullen's secret and in telling her that then obviously their secret would come out too. They agreed but only after an hour of debating. I knew the real reason I wanted to tell Darcy about the wolves and vampires was because if Jane helped me figure out what caused this change then she would need to know about the residual venom and how it might have affected the exposure to the cosmic energy.

"The pilot just came out of the front room! What the fuck is he thinking? I know they have auto pilot but he can't leave it unattended like that! What if it turns off?"

I couldn't control the snort that came out. My whole body painfully shook from trying to hold in the laughter.

"Paul! First of all there are 2 pilots in the cockpit! Second of all, you have to ask permission to put the plane on auto pilot and they give you until a certain time to keep it on."

"Who is 'they'?"

"I don't know! I'm not a pilot! I read it in a book once."

"Oh you read it in a book, it must be true then right? Let me guess one of your teen romance books?"

"Lose the sarcasm, it's not cute on you. Look he is back in the cockpit, everything is right as rain again!"

"twat."

I smirked at our playful conversation, it was times like this that almost made me wish he had imprinted on me but then again.. I was nowhere near ready for a relationship. I loved Paul, it wasn't romantic but now with this whole fire issue, well who knows if I could ever even be with someone intimately without burning them. It made me wish I had taken his sex without strings offer, then I would have at least gotten to experience it once. Maybe one day, when I felt I had perfect control then maybe I could ask him for one night at least. He turned and gave me a soft smile before wrapping his arms around me and letting me lay my head comfortably on his chest.

"Rest up Swan, it's gonna be hell when we land."

He laid his head on top of mine and we both drifted for a while until the speaker ping went off.

"Ladies and gentlemen, we will be landing soon, if you could secure your seat belts and lift your trays please. The time in New York is 2:43 pm it is in the low 70's. In a few minutes we will be asking you to turn all electronics back off so if you need to save something please begin to do so at this time. Thank you for choosing united airlines and we hope you had a great flight."

"That sucks."

"What?"

"Having to do that speech and putting a smile on your face for all the assholes that bug you flight after flight. I could never do it."

"Well you never could any way, you are way too tall and wide to walk up and down the aisle, oh! I almost forgot, you would also turn into a giant dog every time someone talked down to you."

"...twat."

I smirked as he shifted away from me, which on a plane was 2 or 3 inches. 30 minutes later we finally were able to go take a cab to my apartment after looking for Paul's luggage for 15 minutes, I told him not to bring a black bag but of course he didn't listen. You always need something that stands out in an airport, black fits in with the other 50 black ones.

"BELLA!

As soon as I got through the door I was tackled to the floor and as normal as it was for Darcy to tackle me…. I was completely covered in bruises so when I yelled out in pain she pulled back horrified and moved my arms to lift up my shirt.

"SHIT! What did those assholes do to you? Bella I went crazy before you called I didn't know if you had died and they wouldn't tell me anything!"

She started tearing up and she gently wrapped her arms around me trying not to hurt me.

"I love you Bella, you're my best friend. I'm really happy you are OK babe! But you have to tell me what happened. Why did you go to Washington? You could have come to me with whatever they did to you."

She looked so sad and hurt, it was so rare to ever see Darcy cry that I couldn't help but to shed my own tears.

"Oh Darcy I have so much to tell you."


	4. Chapter 4

**They call her Human Torch! Chapter 4**

In the end it took 30 minutes for Jane to get here and when she did, she and Darcy kept looking at my face and body like I was on display on a museum. To top it off they looked at Paul up and down like a tree they are debating to climb or not, him being all for the climbing if his smug smirk was anything to go off.

"Bella I would never judge you for plastic surgery but I mean, I don't think that is what you went through? Why are you all bruised up and so pretty? It's not like you weren't before but I mean I'm not sure if you are you or if you are some spy body double that is trying to hide something… you're hot! I just don't understand? Oh! Did they experiment on you? Is that what really happened? Like in those comic books where they inject you with something but instead of it going wrong and deforming you it went right and perfected you? Because that's awesome."

"Isn't that the story of Captain America?"

"No he volunteered for that stuff didn't he?"

"Darcy! Jane! Just let me explain everything and don't interrupt okay? It's hard enough to put it all together so you both just listen please."

I took a deep breath to build up a nerve to start talking. I didn't even know where to start so I just told them about my first day of school in Forks, meeting up with Jake in La Push, telling me the legends which Paul explained right then and there, there were times that they wanted to interrupt or they would give me looks that questioned my sanity but ultimately they respected my request of staying silent until the end. I told them about the baseball field and of going to Phoenix with Alice and Jasper, I showed them the bite mark and Darcy lost the unbelieving look when I told them about the ballet studio burning down.

"I called to tell you about that but you never answered, I never told you that our old ballet studio burned down that summer."

I interrupted her and kept telling them about waking up in the hospital with all the injuries, I told them everything I could remember up until my birthday incident. It was painful to repeat to Sam and the pack but it was even worse to tell Darcy about how Edward left me, she was the one person that wouldn't judge me and would just hold me while I cried over it. I could see she wanted to hug me but instead she came and sat by my feet. Jane and Darcy started crying with me when I told them the real way Charlie had died, I told them all about Victoria and how the wolves patrolled around La Push constantly now. When I got to the part about the space station they were paying very close attention, it had been all over the news for a week now and the public still did not know exactly how things went wrong or how the deaths happened. Darcy was really sobbing now that I had told her how Ms. Storm saved my life, Jane had never met her but she was very angry and kept calling Mr. Von Doom every name in the book, she was very let down because she always admired how he built up his company so fast and had the best lab workers in his staff. I could tell that they did believe me now although they were not sure how it was possible and they did not know why I was telling them everything now. They were just as confused as I was when I told them about waking up in the private hospital, we didn't understand why I had been put so far and why the doctor seemed to think it was an accident in a lab instead of being told what really happened. I told them about Mr. Vitter being sent by the company but I saved that for last because I knew it was time to show them what I had been talking about when I said he freaked out about the 'side effect'. I had been practicing all day yesterday before going to the airport on how I would show them, I was still nervous but Paul gave my hand a reassuring squeeze and I got up to show them.

"Just, don't freak out okay?"

I took a deep breath and let my whole arm be covered in flames. Darcy jumped a foot in the air.

"Shit! What the fuck?!"

She reached out to touch it but I quickly turned it off and stepped away

"Are you crazy? It's fire Darcy! You could get hurt!"

"Why doesn't it hurt you?"

"I have no idea, I don't know how or why this happened."

Jane got up slowly and came towards us, she seemed to be having an easier time accepting this than Darcy had. She looked very fascinated in what this could mean and that is what I was hoping for from her, I knew without asking that she would help me figure it all out.

"The cosmic cloud altered your DNA. That's the only possible explanation."

"Yes that is what I was thinking but the others that were exposed are dead. I have no way of knowing if it was because I was only partially exposed or if the energy somehow mixed with the venom from James's bite. The radiation shouldn't have altered my body like this. Only the venom could have made my body seem attractive, and it burned so much until I passed out. I was out for almost 3 days which is how long the change is. Those are all vampire traits but I still eat food, nothing about my diet has changed, just that maybe I eat more and Paul said I don't smell anything like vampires so I don't know."

I finally ended by telling them about all the tests that the wolves had put me through and what the news had said about footage.

"If there was a camera in that section of the lab and the footage exists then I need to see it, it could explain something maybe. I don't know how it could affect the trial or what it could prove but I have a feeling his lawyers are going to do everything they can to make me disappear."

"Are you going public with this?"

"I think I have to. He needs to pay."

They both nodded in agreement but I could tell they were worried.

"I don't even know how to go about it though. I don't want to go to the news cameras, I want to go straight into court and the people who are prosecuting him."

"I think the company investors are the ones that are leading that right now with their own group of lawyers. The news said they have been having meetings everyday in order to speed up the trial and all investigations. You know these things take months but of course both sides are full of rich assholes so it has been moving very fast. The building is still on lock down but as far as they can tell no more police vans have showed up so they think the search is almost done of all the floors and new footage this morning says that they even went through his penthouse."

"Well I just have to figure out where the meetings are and how I can get in."

"Just take your old badge and ID they have to know you are the one that survived. I'm sure they would have called you to the stand later when the trial began but beating them to it will look better for sure!"

"You're right, yeah I'll do that tomorrow then. I'll start at their main office on 8th street if they are not there then someone could point me in the right direction or I could just wait for the guy we saw on the news. What was his name?"

"Stanley Lent I think."

"Darcy that's the guy he killed. His name is Johnathan Evert. He is the new head of the stock and business investment club, he was second in command and Stanley Lent was the leader. I read that a bunch of Mr. Von Doom's lawyers have either quit or gone to work with the investors. They must know something or are just looking to get a pay off."

"Duh! They are all jumping off the sinking ship that is Von Doom industries, he is totally gonna lose this case and no one will hire them if they stay on with the company, it's a loss on their careers."

The rest of the afternoon was spent going to the market and restocking the bare kitchen, Darcy and Jane had survived off carry out apparently. I cooked while Paul charmed the girls and I was so relived that he was not being rude or standoffish like he usually is in La Push. Dinner was peaceful and I was glad that everyone was too hungry to make conversation, I didn't want to talk about anything, I was too focused on what I could possibly say to a bunch of men that were probably prosecuting Mr. Von Doom in order to get their money back. Would they even care about the lives lost? I don't know what I would do if I stood before them only to find out that they were a bunch of heartless men like Mr. Vitter. I waited until the time was appropriate before saying goodnight, all of the day's events had my still sore body aching. Paul would be staying with me since it was only a 2 bedroom apartment and Jane had taken to falling asleep on the couch instead of going home, we didn't mind since we knew how dangerous the streets were so late at night and even though I was not as comfortable as Leah said I would be, night after night of burning my clothes had definitely made me less self conscious in front of the guys. Paul and I had fallen asleep on Sam's couch plenty of times so I resolved to just not think about it too much. Showering and changing to my sweats I gently laid my body down, shifting until I found a spot that hurt less. I didn't have to worry about awkwardness when Paul came in because not a minute after my head hit the pillow, unconsciousness took over.

All day I had been running around. ALL DAY. I woke up bright and early to catch a cab down to 8th street where Johnathan Evert had his main office but then I had been directed to their meeting place in the financial district, I figured it would take too long to be stuck in traffic from East Village all the way through Bowery, down through Little Italy, past Chinatown and finally to the iconic Financial District which happened to have the worst traffic due to business men and all the tourists around Wall street and the world trade center. My destination was past all the busiest places, walking would certainly be faster but half way through Chinatown I had been through too many shoves and rude crowds, my bruised body ached and my patience was running thin, I knew if just 2 more people pushed me out of their way I would burst into flames here and now. I gave in and figured if I didn't have an appointment then I didn't need to rush, calling a cab I gave him more than enough cash to get me to William street as fast as possible though there weren't any empty streets at this time I could still hope. Finally after an hour I made it to south financial district, there weren't many tourists here but as I passed the Von Doom Inc building I did see all the news cameras people were talking about. I decided to get off here and just walk the last 2 miles. Seeing the building now gave me chills, a part of me felt like I was looking upon a dark omen and another part just wanted to walk in and take the elevator up to Ms. Storms office. Turning a corner I followed the walking directions on my phone and I saw the building I would be going to, it was much more modest and looked to be no more than 10 floors I knew that was small for New York office buildings but really how much space do investors need? Von Doom Inc had been a 72 floor building and the first 60 floors were all different departments, not even I had been to all of them but I knew it was one of the most expensive buildings in New York, I always felt Mr. Von Doom was a pretentious asshole!

Walking into the lobby was very intimidating. The whole first floor seemed to be a 'Lobby' although there were no chairs, no windows and actually no furniture whatsoever! Looking up I saw one lone reception desk against the farthest wall, I couldn't help but think this had to be a type of tactic, whatever it was for worked like a charm because as the grumpy woman stared me down while I did the whole minute walk to her, the silence completely killed off half of my courage, I seemed to forget what I was going to say too.

"Hi."

She scanned me up and down before raising an eyebrow.

"What name is your appointment under?"

"I- I don't have one but-"

"No one comes in without an appointment."

"I just need to speak with Mr. Eve-"

"Ms, this is a private building, no appointment no entry. Am I going to have to call security?"

I swear this _fucking bitch _is enjoying herself!

"Look **_Ms _**I am not leaving until I talk to _someone_ about Mr. Von Doom! You can direct me to someone or I can get on that elevator behind you and hit every floor until I figure out who Mr. Evert is! You bet your ass I can and will do it. Don't think that dinky little guard coming down the stairs can stop me, I saw you press the security button."

Shit! I need to pull myself together! God why did I make Paul go play tourist with Darcy?

"Ma'am I need you to come with me."

"No, I am not leaving. I have information that needs to be heard. I can say it to the board and help them prosecute Von Doom or I can go to the news stations and tell them all about how the investors are only looking for revenge for their chairman's death and don't care about innocent people dying on that space station. I will tell them all what actually happened up there!"

Stupid! Of course that is what I should have led with! I tell them I was on the space station and look! Now they listen! Both the receptionist and the guard looked alarmed and she quickly picked up the phone to make some calls. I stood there for 4 minutes and she still would not look my way. Finally 2 minutes more and a tall woman with curly blonde hair came straight up to and offered her hand.

"Hello dear, my name is Angelina Stein, I was Mr. Lent's head lawyer and am running the group in charge of Mr. Doom's prosecution, could I see your ID? Linda here say's you claim to have been on the space station however we have spoken to all the employees, all except one. Are you Ms. Swan?"

"Yes Ma'am, I am."

"You fell off the grid Ms. Swan. We have been looking for you. Now your ID please. We need to verify."

I quickly took it out and handed it over along with my employee badge, she then went and swiped it through some device 'Linda' had on her desk. Was that supposed to mean something? Like a machine to see if it is real or not? Mrs. Stein kept looking at the picture and then looking back at me until I had enough.

"I've lost some weight over the last 3 years since I took that picture!"

She gave me one last stern look before tilting her head and motioning me to follow her towards the elevator. As she passed the reception desk she threw a glare Linda's way and I held myself in check to not stick my tongue out at her… twat! I know Paul would agree with me on that one. I was right in my assumption, the elevator only had 12 buttons and that was including the basement and lobby. We went up to floor 8 and down 2 empty hallways until we got to a door that said 'Conference room 8B' so far I had not seen or heard anyone in this building other than the 3 people I had spoken to. As soon as I stepped through the door however was a whole 'nother situation. There were at least 25 people in here! And every single one stopped what they were doing to look up at me. Great.

"Gentlemen, this is Isabella Swan."

That's it? No explanation, no you have the floor, just my name? And gentlemen is right because we were the only 2 women in here! They were all looking at me with expectant looks on their faces and I realized these were business men, they were not here to socialize, they obviously knew who I was but wanted to know right away why I was here. No games.

"Hello. I have been keeping up with the news of the company since I woke up last week, as soon as I found out Mr. Von Doom had been arrested I took the first flight back to New York. I'm not sure how much I can help but I needed you all to hear my side of the story, especially now that there are rumors of footage."

The man I had seen on the news, Mr. Evert stepped forward and gestured us all to sit down.

"Ms. Swan, now is the time to tell your story, we will listen and we will archive everything you say but keep in mind that the footage of the incidents has all been seen by the people in this room, trying to give us false information which leads to false accusations can and will be punishable by law. Every thing you say from this moment forward is in the assumption that you are agreeing to let us call you to stand and use whatever you say for or against you. Recording will begin as soon as you do."

He nodded towards me and pushed a recording device to my side of the table, it seemed everyone had procured some type of notepad or laptop and were paying close attention to me. I cleared my throat and thanked god that I had told Sam, Darcy, and Jane the whole story. By now I was able to put it in a way that made sense.

"My name is Isabella Swan, I started an internship at Von Doom Inc this summer and was soon mentoring under Ms. Storm. During my first few weeks at the company I witnessed many meetings with Mr. Richards as he explained his research on cosmic energy. An experiment was quickly planned and the day before the departure, I got to work only to be told by Ms. Storm, Mr. Richards, and Mr. Von Doom, that I was being invited strictly as an observer on the space station. I was very excited and agreed to go right away. The next day everything seemed to go normal as far as I could tell, we arrived and Mr. Grimm was sent to do his task and arrange the flowers that would be experimented on. I was with Mr. Richards when the system started changing track and announced that we had minutes before the cosmic cloud hit. We were supposed to have 7 hours. Mr. Richards quickly ran to get both Ms. Storm and Mr. Von Doom, I noticed that he seemed annoyed to be interrupted and didn't have any urgency to the danger we were all in, after Ms. Storm double checked the systems she along with Mr. Richards and I ran to the air lock chamber where Mr. Storm was already located. The cosmic cloud was coming too fast and even though Mr. Grimm jumped to try to get to the chamber, gravity was too slow. Ms. Storm suddenly appeared at my side and pushed me back to where Mr. Von Doom was at, she told me he was going to close the shields to protect the space station. When she stepped back out of the room the wall/door was already half closed. The last thing I saw- the last time I saw them, they had their hands pressed against the glass as they waited for Mr. Grimm. I started to cry and that was when an employee came into the room and pressed a button on the outer wall, he told Mr. Von Doom that the room was not as safe as previously thought, Mr. Von Doom quickly strode to the door way and made it out on time but I unfortunately tripped, he looked back at me with a snide grin and kept walking, the door closed and I was alone. The countdown finished and I remember seeing a pink colored chemical come in through the crack of the door, when it reached me it cut off my ability to breath and it burned my skin horribly. When it became too much, I thought I was dying, the pain was unbearable so I forced myself to take a deep breath of the cosmic radiation, I figured it would kill me quicker. I lost consciousness and woke up in a private clinic, my emergency contact was with me and he explained that the company never told him what had happened to me, they simply sent a private jet for him and brought him to my location. When a doctor came in. he clearly did not know what had really happened, he was told that I had inhaled dangerous chemicals at work and when I asked him about the others, he said I was the only one brought in by paramedics, he said that my employer 'must be very worried because they left notes to call as soon as I had woken up'. It was not until later that a nurse came in and took my temperature, it was extremely high and she thought the thermometer was broken so she left to find another. I got increasingly worried because I felt myself growing hotter still. I started to panic when I looked down and saw my hands were actually caught on fire, it did not hurt, I could actually not feel the actual heat of the flames then."

So far they seemed to believe everything I said but this was the most important part of my story. I got up, took a deep breath, and once again like last night, let my arms be covered in flames. They all seemed to have different reactions. Some jumped back in fear, others in disgust, some were so focused in writing what was happening that only their facial expressions showed their shock. One man in the back jumped up and pointed an accusing finger at me.

"You are a mutant!"

"I was not before, the cosmic cloud somehow altered my DNA. I was so shocked when this first happened that I could not turn it off."

"Do you have control of it now?:

"For the most part. If I grow very angry or frustrated then I have a hard time keeping it in, if it does come out I've learned this past week how to rein it in quickly,"

"Please Ms. Swan, do continue the story, we would like to close this recording and open a new topic afterwards. If you would be willing."

I simply nodded and gave a silent thank you for them not completely freaking out, although some of them no longer sat next to me and others looked at me with distrust they were at least still listening.

"My friend freaked out as well but he helped my figure out that if I calmed down then it would go away. I had just calmed down when Mr. Vitter came into my room. He explained that he was a lawyer for Von Doom Inc, he was offering me a severance package and some papers to sign but I never did, I asked him about the others and he told me about the survivors but then went on to tell me that as expected in that situation there were casualties, when I found out they had died, I lost it. I started crying and my friend knew I would lose control. He asked Mr. Vitter to step out while he calmed me but at some point he came back in and saw that my hands were on fire. He freaked out and started saying that the company had turned me into a mutant, that it changed everything and that the papers he had with him for me to sign had to be revised. He was very worried about the papers but I never found out what was on them. When I asked him what I should do he told me that the news did not know I was the only survivor so that I should stay far away from New York, he said he would contact me in a week but he still hasn't. I came here and am ready to expose myself in order to get justice for Ms. Storm. If it were not for her, I would not be here. She knew what was going to happen and she saved me. Mr. Grimm would not have made it in but Mr. Richards and Mr. Storm had no chance, they were left outside the shield to die! Mr. Von Doom was selfish and chose to protect himself, he had no regard to any life but his own. It is his fault they are dead. He knew that he had messed up, that is why I woke up in that clinic in Colorado. There is no other reason why he would place me so far from New York and not tell the doctor what really happened to me. He needs to pay for his actions!"

Of course I was angry just thinking about him but still I was in control, they didn't think I was because they asked me to sit back down and calm down.

"I'm not going to set your building on fire."

"We know that, I have to apologize for our shocked behavior and also for the way your situation was handled. The information confirms many things for us and it was certainly helpful. We would like to thank you for that and although we will be asking you to assist in our case, we would encourage you to select one of our lawyers to start up with your own case against Mr. Doom, we would have more of a chance at prosecution if there are 2 cases along the same lines against him. It would start as 2 but once trial starts up we can formerly ask the judge to merge the cases in order to ask for maximum sentencing."

I could only nod my head since I was kind of over whelmed and happy that they were willing to work with me.

"There are many things that are stacking up against Victor but for the most part we will be inviting you and Ms. Masters to join our meeting only when they will be about the space station. There are other parts to this case that we are not at liberty to share until the trial."

"Ms. Masters?"

"Yes, she was Mr. Grimm's fiancee. She is the only other person aside from Mr. Grimm's mother that is actively working with us on the case."

I felt my throat tighten in thought. I never stopped to think about their families or how they must be feeling.

"Are no other family members involved?"

"No Ms. Swan. As far as we know, Mr. Richards was orphaned at a young age and only had a friend in Mr. Grimm. Mr. and Ms. Storm are survived by a father but, he has not been in a right frame of mind for a while. We are trying to get their wills in order to tie them into the case as well. I can assure you that we are actively working to build a strong case. Even if he gets away with one thing, surely he can't escape all the charges he will be faced with."

"Money does miracles sir. I'm sure you can understand where I am coming from."

"I most certainly do, however I can't imagine he has enough money to bribe anyone at the moment. We pulled all our money from the company, it is now paying for itself and with no work being done and no new money coming in, well I don't see how the company will stay afloat for too long. Victor is very frivolous with his money, he spends millions every month just to make the building look presentable. He must be using any personal savings to keep paying his group of lawyers. We will see how long he can keep it up."

Another lawyer came up behind Mr. Evert and has a new badge along with some papers.

"Ms? Please follow me. I would like to debrief you on these papers and give you a schedule for which meetings you will be allowed to attend. We need your contact information and these papers are for your statement, it will give up permission to ask for Mr. Vitter to be involved in the case. This badge is for you to gain entry through our private side door we just need a picture and your fingerprint to activate it. I can explain them all further if you'd like?"

I nodded and followed him out of the room. There was a feeling in my chest that I could not describe, through the beginning of this I always felt that I could not really help because I was just a teenager, I always had the idea that graduating from college and getting a job would make me an actual adult but now, realizing that these people were taking me seriously and listening to what I had to say, I felt like this is the beginning of my new path. A path where I was my own person, not holding on to vampires that could love me and care for me, not hiding behind horse sized wolves to protect me. This is something I am starting and finishing on my own.


	5. Chapter 5

**They call her Human Torch! Chapter 5**

_**3 Weeks later. August, 31, 2010**_

I could sleep for 3 days and it still would not be enough. I couldn't believe that today marked 3 weeks since my first meeting with these guys, I didn't even know what to call them, 7 of them were investors, 4 of them were lawyers, and 5 of them were both! Those came from the bank that loaned Von Doom Inc it's starter money, they owned 50% of the company and so it made sense that the bank was worried about their potential loss.

Paul had to go home after only 6 days but I made sure to spend them showing him as much of the city as I could, he loved the city life and promised he would come back but I'm not sure if I believed him or not, I knew it depressed him to come and see the type of life he once wanted, before he turned into a wolf he had a scholarship that he was very excited about. Sam had one as well but it was not as hard after he found Emily, he moved on to new dreams with her but I knew Paul and Leah would really benefit living here for some time, maybe they would consider visiting for a month after the threat of Victoria was taken care of. The pack was as crazy about the gossip as the rest of the country! They called me every time something else was leaked out to the public, as Mr. Evert had said, the charges really were racking up.

After it was made public knowledge that the bank owned 50% of the company because of the continuous loans year after year, seemed that Mr. Doom as they called him here in the office, was not the perfect CEO that everyone thought. Angered ex employees unanimously released that every investor owned 5% of the company each and that there were 8 of them so all that the prestigious Victor Von Doom actually had was only 10% of his own company. He was a joke to the public eye now. The more people dug, the more they found. It all started as the New York police investigated security cameras to uncover who had killed Mr. Lent in the car garage but they also found footage of the space station which put him at fault for not checking the security requirements of the shields on the station and murder charges for closing the shields and purposely leaving people out of it. From there the financial side was uncovered and everyone wondered if he only owned 10% then how did he live such a glamorous lifestyle? That is when the IRS came in to do their investigation of all his penthouses around the world and his custom tailor made suits, turns out that was money coming straight out of the company which made it so some employees were paid late and others came out saying they had not been paid at all for 2 months. So many people became involved and everyone was so confused, just when we had a grasp of what was going on suddenly something new popped up! It was one gigantic cluster fuck! Hence the reason why I felt the need to sleep for the rest of the month. The first 2 weeks I was allowed and sometimes required at 3 or 4 meetings a week but now, now with so many things coming out and the very public case requiring a faster trial, now we have meetings every single day. They start at 8:00 am and end when literally there is nothing left to do for the day, however in a legal case and one of this size I quickly learned there's always work to do!

The public and the bank was pushing for a trial to start officially but the New York police and IRS insisted that there was more to dig into. A trial could not start until they were sure that no new things would come out. There was a legal procedure for EVERYTHING! I had to go through 2 days of meetings just to legally break my non-disclosure agreement in order for my statement to be usable in court. My day's were always full of meetings now and my nights were always spent on Skype with Jane and Darcy, I was so thankful to have them in my life. Jane had looked up all the information she could on cosmic energy but so far nothing could really help, I knew her drive for more information almost had her breaking into Mr. Richards apartment but thankfully she had no idea where he even lived and they were now in another state, Darcy had gone off to college and that is where Jane's lab was located so they both left together. Darcy was so devastated when I told her I was not going to go to college but after 3 day's I was finally able to make her understand that path was no longer for me. I was thankful Jane never asked for a blood sample and she never made me feel like it was me she was experimenting on, I had grown very close to both of them and appreciated all the work they were putting into doing research for me.

I had met up multiple times with Mr. Grimm's fiancee and mother, they had requested to talk to me and felt that my story of how he died and his last words were somehow a step closer to being able to move on, I tried to comfort them as much as I could and I really feel it helped all 3 of us when they told me all about Ben and Reed growing up best friends, always working together in everything they did. I was right about Mr. Richards and Ms. Storm, they told me how she and Reed had been in a relationship for a long time and loved each other very much but he was always so involved with work and research that their relationship never progressed and she ended up breaking things off.

We were not sure how, but Mr. Vitter somehow found out that I was back, he came to one of the meetings and tried to make me sign some papers for money, thank god I was surrounded by lawyers because they practically jumped up to read the agreement and threw it back at his face, he was trying to exchange money for me to sign an agreement saying that I could not take any form of legal action against Mr. Doom but apparently since the company had been officially locked down and was pending on liquidating it, producing 'legal' papers for a company that was now suspended made what he had done illegal and considered bribing. What does that mean? _Ding ding ding! _Another charge added.

**1 Month later: September, 28, 2010**

Well my birthday had come and gone this year. It was weird thinking that just last year I had been an absolute mess over the Cullen's abandonment, I never thought I would get through that hard time but it feels good to see where I am today without them. It was a bit lonely being in a city with no one to see on my birthday but I preferred not to tell anyone at the office, I have never liked celebrating my birthday and if I did have to then it is only with my loved ones, not a bunch of 40 year old men that would laugh at me barely turning 19. I got so many calls from the pack, Darcy, Jane, and surprisingly even my mom. Everyone cheered me up and I got care packages from Emily along with a huge envelope of gift cards from Darcy and Jane. I certainly appreciated those since I was a little low on cash. Mr. Evert had it arranged for me to keep the apartment, free of rent until the end of the trial, something I was so grateful for but with no paycheck coming in and bills to pay, well Charlie's police pension check was what I was living off of. I had good money in my savings since I didn't end up using it for school and from Charlie's will but savings were for an emergency and I was glad that I was very comfortable just living off of basic things and that my food bill was the biggest one so I at least had control of that.

People have finally gotten the ball rolling on a trial and I was so glad because even though it was suppose to be moving 'fast', to me everything seemed so slow. It took a whole day just to allow or decide one little thing.

September, 20th started a preliminary hearing and it lasted 4 whole days. I was attending less meetings now but when I went they were filled with terms I couldn't begin to understand. My new status was sitting quietly in the corner with my notebook and spending an hour afterwards, having a lawyer explain all the things I didn't understand in my book. I titled it the book of knowledge and I would take great pleasure from burning it when this was all over.

September, 27th Judge Mark Lance was assigned to the case and Mr. Doom officially pleaded not guilty. Not guilty my ass!

September, 28th today our lawyers were going to file a motion to obtain Mr. Doom's personal records and all the footage being held as evidence. With this case being so public, I knew it was only a matter of time before the footage was seen and everyone would know what a monster he truly is.

**3 ½ Months later: Tuesday, January, 11, 2011.**

Holy fucking shit. That's all I really had to say. Over 3 months later and this trial is still going! Let me tell you, I was a full fledged New York-er now, I could be as rude and loud as the rest of 'em and that is just how you gotta be if you want to walk somewhere. I lost my shit many times a week but I always made sure to not burn too much of my clothes or, you know, peoples faces. All the lawyers and investors finally warmed up to me, they had to after seeing me every day for the past months. The only one I still couldn't get along with was Antonio but it was because he was against mutant rights and made it very known. He refused to be left alone with me in a room and he personally installed smoke detectors and fire extinguishers for every room in the building. I didn't have much of a life yet, I hadn't started really living and I wouldn't until the case was closed but I was told that it would be soon, I mean the whole world pretty much knew the verdict, it was obvious by now that he was guilty of everything but like I said, there is a process for everything. The space station footage was released to the public late November, it was a leak on our side and I was pretty sure Antonio was the one responsible since the video was titled 'Freak in the making' I didn't mind, it was still a trending video on YouTube today and it was played on all news stations, they all reported on the poor girl that had been put through pain and although I didn't care for the attention I did appreciate that everyone saw Mr. doom's actions. They all blamed him for everything that went wrong and some people released campaigns to try and figure out who I was. The trial has allowed news cameras in but none had been able to focus on my face too much and the judge made sure my name was not released in those public hearings, of course everyone in Forks recognized me right away and since I never gave any one my number or told them where I was moving to, they went to where I was seen the most, La Push. The pack was frustrated at being stopped so much and Emily even went off on Jessica and some others when she apparently had the nerve to knock on their door and tried to invite herself in.

Of course hearing all that pissed me off but nothing annoyed me more than when Paul called to let me know that Carlisle had called Sam and asked him if anyone knew about me and my safety since he had tried calling Charlie's house and no one ever answered. Sam tried to be civil by telling him that I was as safe as could be but when he asked what Sam meant by that he simply told him that they were not welcome in my life any longer so to not come looking for me. I was glad and hoped they really didn't come looking. They left me with no goodbye and now they seemed worried? Well fuck them. My mom called and asked me if I was the girl in the video and when I told her yes she freaked and yelled at me for not telling her that I even had a job in New York… when I told her that she had once again forgotten she got mad and hung up. We still have not talked since. I was just glad that the public did not know about my fire, as far as they knew, the only thing the girl in the video got was pain. I can't imagine how much harder they would look for me if they knew I became a mutant.

November 3rd 2010 was when the jury was sequestered and things moved a little faster after that.

November 4th the jury was showed the evidence and footage of Mr. Lents murder, it was very difficult to watch but even more so when I had his family sitting behind me.

November 5th the jury was shown all the footage of the space station and that was the first time I myself had seen it, I felt like I was watching my thoughts played out on the monitor. I thought watching from the camera point of view would be different, that I would remember something else or see something that I missed but no, my memory of that day was as clear as ever. The most difficult part was watching as the cosmic cloud hit the first room. Watching the last moments of a person was heart breaking, how all three of them held hands as they braced themselves for the hit. Watching as Mr. Richards turned at the last second and said something to Ms. Storm that made her melt against him. It did not give me closure, I don't think something like that could.

November 8th the IRS came in with an extensive list of all fraud, larceny, and embezzlement evidence. That was a very long day for sure. All those numbers made my head hurt. Seeing how much money he wasted out of his ass was astounding, he had suits that were worth more than all my wardrobe put together. Day after day he sat on the other side of the room, refusing to testify or even explain himself, he came off looking like a douche bag but I could still see the arrogant confidence he had in himself.

November 18th After all evidence is submitted and approved by the attorneys, trial opened.

November 19th Opening statements were given for the defense.

November 25th the jury was taken to Von Doom Inc to be shown the crime scene.

November 29th I was cross examined by our lawyers and spent hours preparing for everything they asked me. They also prepared me for every thing Mr. Doom's lawyers might ask but the court was surprised when they chose not to. It further proved his guilt to the public eye when they didn't even try to make my story sound fake. It was all on film after all.

December,1-3, 2010. Witnesses were called to the stand. We brought in random employees to rant and rave about what a short temper Mr. Doom had with his staff, a DNA specialist was called in and asked many questions about Mr. Lent's murder scene and his autopsy results, they lastly brought in my doctor, he explained how I had been brought into the hospital under false pretenses and how far Mr. Doom had gone to try and hide me, that really got the public going because they saw it as an endangerment that he prevented me from getting the right medical treatment.

December 13th was the day that I finally saw some of Mr. Doom's arrogance slip away. The court ordered him to turn over all of his assets and Von Doom Inc. I saw the arrogance be replaced with anger and resentment.

December 20th Victor Von Doom's items were all auctioned off and so were his properties in New York, Los Angeles, Singapore, and London. The money made off of the properties went directly to the bank but his personal items, art, and clothes all amounted to 1.3 billion dollars. The company building itself had been gutted and the bare property itself was auctioned off for 4.9 billion. It caused a major scandal when the person who bought it was none other than Tony Stark, it immediately started the rumors that Stark would finally be expanding back to New York.

Today, January 11th 2011 was the most important day that all the investors had been waiting for. I wanted nothing more than to hear the judge say he was guilty of all charges and to watch him be taken to jail for the rest of his life but I knew that to the investors the most important thing was that they got their share of the money that was to be split today. The lawyers were very good to me, I was not paying them but ever since the investors asked me to go to them for any help, they had gone out of their way to explain everything to me even if I had nothing to do with it and they really had started fighting for me too as if I were one of the investors. I was on my way now to the meeting that I was having with Tom, Aaron, and Brian. They were the lawyers I had gotten closest to and they wanted to meet with me in private before we headed over to the actual meeting where everyone would be present. Once I got to the coffee shop I saw all 3 of them all the way in the back corner with all the surrounding tables empty, no doubt they tipped someone to make that happen.

"Hey guys. What was so important that we had to meet so far away from the office?"

"Bella, we wanted to talk to you as your lawyers. We want to see how far you will let us negotiate on your behalf."

"Negotiate? What for?"

"For money. Everyone knows you are getting a share. If the public found out you did not get money for the pain you went through, they would go crazy. The courts and investors would look better if they gave you a share, why do you think they are fighting along side you? It makes them look better and the better your image, the more money they get."

"Yes, we thought about it yesterday and we remembered that you as a victim are going to get the chance to 'bargain' we know you are not very interested in the money, we will still try to get you as much of it as we can because you deserve that much but is there something that you really want?"

I was about to say no, I wanted to say no but really in that moment when I thought of the opportunity I had right in front of me, 2 things instantly came to mind.

"Yes, actually there is."


	6. Chapter 6

**They call her Human Torch! Chapter 6**

January, 11th

"Bella dear, are you nervous?"

I looked up to see Mrs. Grim sitting across the waiting room from me, I didn't even notice when she walked in. I had been stuck in my head since my meeting with the guys an hour ago and then when I walked in and saw Mr. Lent's family already here I just tried to sit as far away as I could before things got too awkward.

"No ma'am, I have a lot to think about is all. Are you okay?"

"Yes dear don't you worry about me. I have had a lot to think about as well, you know originally I had no desire to receive any money from that vile man! All I wanted was to give my boy and Reed the memorial they deserved, one full of friends and people who loved them but then I saw how expensive all that truly is and I just can't afford it. I could have enough if it were just for Ben but I wouldn't feel right leaving Reed out of it, the poor boy always looked to me as a mother and over the years he really became a son to me as well. I remember when he was 8, he brought me some wild flowers for mothers day and he had the brightest blush on his cheeks!"

I started crying just watching her laugh while the tears rolled down her cheeks, I had never thought about how Mrs. Grim saw Mr. Richards, I should have figured she saw him grow up along side her son.

"Well in that case, you deserve to get more than whatever they give you. I thought the company had taken care of all those expenses though? They said they would."

She scoffed at what I said but I saw even more tears gather in her eyes.

"They didn't do a thing but be cruel. I had a man show up and give me two marble boxes, he said it was the ashes of- of what was left"

I immediately scooted over and put my arm around her as she broke down, she calmed down after a minute and went to the bathroom to fix herself up. I looked over when we heard someone scoff only to see Mr. Lent's widow. I had truly felt bad for that family and gave my condolences the day they had to see the video in court but week after week they proved to be the most cold people I had ever met and Mrs. Grim agreed with me, they were only here to get their share of money and I would be very surprised if they even showed up to the hearing after they got their money today. Suddenly the conference door opened and Brian stepped out.

"Bella, we need you in here."

"Why? I thought we were not allowed?"

"They want to know why you are asking for more than just money, they are not fighting it, hell they would give you whatever you wanted at this point but they just want to you to give your reasons. They are looking to see if you are just being greedy. Answer honestly and don't say a thing about money, don't you dare mention that you are not interested in your share of the money!"

I took a deep breath and squared my shoulders.

"Okay, let's go."

He nodded and led me to the conference room. A second later I thanked god I had met all of these men before. I don't think I could speak if I had not, there were like 30 of them! Even the head CEO of the bank came out, of course he did, his company was about to gain a shitload of money!

"Hi"

Well this is awkward.. they could at least say hi back, the fuckers. God why am I cussing so much in my thoughts lately? Must be the influence of all these people.

"Ms. Swan, we have heard your requests from your lawyers but now we would like to hear why you feel you deserve them."

Straight to the point. Okay.

"I wouldn't be as bold as to say that 'I deserve it' exactly but I would most certainly find a better use than others. I requested 2 things, first and foremost I asked about the formula that the company made for unstable molecules, I recently discovered that the suit I wore in the space station is the only thing in my wardrobe that I cannot burn, unstable molecules conform to my body's needs and they are resistant to the flames on my skin. If I could get the formula, I have 2 friends that are as enthusiastic about science as I and together we could use the formula to make more clothing that could last longer for me. It would be cheaper than buying more clothes every month. The second request I understand is a lot to ask for, the reason I am asking for ownership of Mr. Reed Richards' apartment is because of 3 things actually; first is that if I could gain access to his research on cosmic energy then I could maybe find more information to see if what happened to me was predicted, I have looked up as much as I could but I still have no answers, he studied cosmic energy for years before he brought the idea to Von Doom Inc. Second is that if I had ownership then I could use the lab in his apartment and finally take a sample of my own DNA, I know it was altered in the exposure to the cosmic cloud but I want to know just how much. Am I a mutant? Did the exposure give me the mutant gene or just activate the gene already in me? Maybe I'm not a mutant at all and this is all just something different. I want answers to what happened to me and unfortunately I can't trust someone else to give them my DNA so I have to conduct the tests on myself, the equipment is very expensive and I would have no where to put it anyway because the apartment I am in now is only mine until the end of the trial so the property would not only give me the equipment but it would also give me a place to live after this ordeal. My third and last reason is because these past few weeks I have gotten rather close to Mrs. Grimm and she has told me so many stories about her son and Reed growing up, I would love to be able to go into his apartment and look for any pictures of her son, of both of them, anything that she would cherish, I would love to do that for her. I feel like my reasons are not unreasonable..."

I honestly have no idea how that went, these people have the most perfect poker faces. Brian, Aaron, and Tom smiled at me and gave me the signal that I was dismissed.

"Thank you for any consideration you put into this. Excuse me."

When I walked back into the other room Mrs. Grimm looked up at me with concern.

"Did something go wrong dear? I came back and you were gone."

"No, they are still talking. I just requested 2 things and they wanted to hear my reasoning for them."

I expected her to ask what I had requested or to look at me judgmentally for requesting anything at all but she kept smiling at me and asked no questions.

"I understand, and I'm sure you have good intentions."

"Thank you, I think they are but I do have to admit that my reasoning was a bit selfish. I just want all the information I can get on cosmic energy. I can't imagine that I will find something that can fix this and if I do, I don't know if I would go through with it but I want to know about myself. I want to know if there are any deadly side effects or just anything that will affect me in the long run."

"That's normal Bella, I really hope you get whatever you asked for. And if you do find something that will take away your fire, make sure you do it for yourself and for the right reasons. You can't be fixed because you are not broken."

This woman is an angel.

"Thanks. I requested a formula that the company made that would allow me to make clothes that are not going to turn to ash like my other clothes."

"That is so great! Oh I hope you get it dear!"

"I also requested Reed's apartment. I want to know all about the research he did and his equipment would really help me study myself. I don't know if that is something you are not okay with. If there is anything in there that you want, you could take anything back."

"Oh don't fret. It's a comfort that it might go to you instead of the bank. I know you would value his most important part of his life that was his lab. He would spend endless hours in there."

"I'm relived to hear that."

We sat there for another 40 minutes and I never knew this could take so long. I hope the guys aren't fighting too much for me, I don't want to seem greedy to them. Finally Mr. Evert's assistant came out and told us we could enter the conference room. The mood was not too heavy in here but I still had no way of knowing which direction this could go, as soon as we sat down they started talking again.

"Before we begin we would like to point out that all decisions have been approved and no objections will be taken into consideration. The detailed decisions are on record and you are all free to read them, however in the sake of cutting this meeting short, we will only go over the shares of the people in this room."

With that said, they hit a button to start recording.

"The money collected from personal items came out to 1.3 billion, Personal bank accounts came to 8 million, Company money was 35 billion, and the company building was sold for 4.9 billion. All the money put together came to 49.2 billion, 50% going to the bank for their ownership of the company. The bank gets 24.6 billion and the 24.6 billion that remains is to be split evenly between the remaining people involved. Let it go on record, that means each of you will receive 2.46 billion dollars."

Fuck. Fucking shit. That's a shitload of money.

"That's it?! how do you expect me to live the rest of my life with that? How do you expect me to raise my children with that? I demand a recount! Something obviously went wrong there because my husband would have demanded more money!"

Ugh! Of course she is not satisfied! Her husband was twice her age and she was probably only using him for money! I still have not seen her shed a single tear.

"Like I said, our count is final. I would like to point out however, your late husband invested 500,000 dollars to the company just like the rest of these men, the money you are getting back is many times multiplied."

"This is shit! My whole family lost him so all my children should count in the split!"

"Oh my god you ungrateful bitch."

"Excuse me?!"

I said that out loud didn't I?

"You heard me. Look around, everyone is fine with what they got but you! You are complaining because 2 billion is not enough? I could live comfortably for the rest of my life with less than half of that but no not you!"

"You stupid whore! You don't know what you are talking about!"

"Really? You know you could get an actual fucking job like the rest of us instead of being a 'stay at home mom' I use that term very loosely because I'm sure all the money will be blown on more plastic surgery and Botox! Oh and of course paying the people you hire to cook, clean, and care for your kids! All you do is go shopping! You should be grateful for what you have you undeserving bitch!"

She came rushing at me suddenly and slapped me as hard as she could but of course I didn't feel anything, I felt not only my temper but my actual temperature rising. Not here please not here! I couldn't rein it in and I felt the heat turn to actual flames. The bitch jumped away in fear though and started crying so that's a plus there. Thank god I am wearing the unstable molecule suit under my clothes now or else I would have wound up naked in front of these people.

"Bella, control yourself dear. These are the people you have grown close to the past few months, don't lose their trust like this baby girl."

That's all it took for me to turn it off. Not the fear of losing the trust of others but just her voice being so calm and caring for me. I turned and saw everyone was against the walls as far from me as possible so I tried to play it off as much as I could but of course I should have learned by now that this group doesn't play.

"What? I wasn't gonna kill her. I didn't even touch her."

Well my lawyers didn't find that funny at all, they kept sending me warning glances while everyone tried to collect themselves. Shortly after more details were given on timelines and how exactly that money would be received we were all dismissed, well they were. I had to stay back with all the lawyers and bank people. Even the investors got to leave. On her way out she couldn't resist, she actually had the balls to glare at me and say "I hope they take away your money for that stunt!" to which I said nothing, just smirked and snapped my fingers at her, she seemed confused until her hair started smoking. Then she just ran out screaming over her expensive hair. Who knows what she meant by that shit. Mrs. Grimm smiled but shook her head and put her hand on my shoulder as she passed.

"I will wait for you outside the building okay?"

"Sure, thank you."

After we were alone the lawyers all turned to me and the head of the bank spoke.

"Ms. Swan, your request for the unstable molecule formula has been granted and is now in the process, it will be personally delivered by Mr. Dooms lawyer tomorrow. The request for the apartment was not approved without the condition that some money from your share was taken, however it seems you have good people fighting for you. I personally agreed to give you the apartment on behalf of the bank as a gesture of good fortune. We are also prepared to offer you a bank account at our bank to save your money at half the interest that everyone else will get."

"That's really- that's great! Thank you, I really appreciate it."

"There is one condition I have to the apartment."

Shit! Of course there is.

"After your tests on yourself are done, if you do have the mutant gene- and this only applies if you have the mutant gene, if you do not then you get ownership with no strings attached, if you have the gene, you let the bank sponsor a mutant rights rally featuring you and your story."

"You want me to go public."

It was not a question, I knew it was what he wanted. It will happen eventually right? Sooner or later they would figure out who I am and where I lived, especially since I would be moving to Mr. Richards place.

"Okay, that is something I can agree to. Why is your bank interested in mutant rights though?"

"My late wife was a mutant. There's a possibility that my daughter could develop an ability when she gets a little older, if that is the case then I would like her to live in a world where she doesn't have to hide like her mother did and as you have been doing the past few weeks."

My respect for this man grew tenfold at that moment.

"Your daughter is very lucky to have such a supportive father. Even if I do not have the gene, let me know if I can help in anyway."

He simply nodded and cleared his throat, clearly uncomfortable now.

"Yes, thank you. Well today is Tuesday, how does Thursday sound for a meeting at my office? We can set up a new account for your share of the money and we can fill out all the paperwork to transfer all of Mr. Richards papers under your name. Your lawyers will need to be present as well."

After setting up a time that worked for the guys we all finally took the elevator down to the lobby, as soon as we stepped out I could hear the chaos and see the hundreds of reporters outside. Mrs. Grimm came up to me cautiously.

"What happened? When we came in there were only about 10 of them?"

"Bella, Mrs. Lent ran out of the building telling the reporters that you burned her hair, she showed them and she said that when you got angry your body became covered in flames so your clothes burned off until you were just in your suit you wear under. She just exposed your abilities and she said your name was Isabella Swan, she must have remembered it from the private trial hearings she went to. I'm so sorry dear. She told them you are a mutant and that it happened on the space station."

I could do nothing but put my head in my hands. Aaron put his hand on my shoulder.

"I am really sorry it came out like this, you need to go out there and give a statement though. I mean they won't leave you alone for a while but if would be easier if you came out and said what happened, its better than them inventing crap about you."

"Your lawyer is right Ms. Swan. Clear your name now before they start assuming you burned Mrs. Lent maliciously. I too am sorry you could not keep your peace for a while longer. My company will still stand behind you and our agreement still stands through this. I hope the crowd of reporters won't keep you from the appointment but I understand if it needs to be canceled. If you need anything before then, please give me a call to my personal number. Here is my card."

"Thank you. I really appreciate it sir."

After he left through a back door I considered doing that too but I knew I had to face them, well maybe not personally. I turned to Tom, Aaron, and Brian.

"Is there anyway you guys could release a statement as my lawyers? I don't think I could speak in front of them. Can't you say that I can't speak about it personally because the case is still open?"

"Yes, that could actually work. Actually it is true too, I'm sure Mrs. Lent will probably be fined by the judge for releasing the information."

"You have to stand by us though, you can't just hide in here. Lets go back in the room and prepare what we have to say. Tom, go out there and tell them we will release a statement soon."

Shit this is actually happening right now?


	7. Chapter 7

**They call her Human Torch! Chapter 7**

I was having a really hard time staying impassive, how could I when there were over 60 people pointing their cameras at me and only half of them were actually listening to Brian? They had only worked on this little speech for 15 minutes and I must say, these guys are really good! They had told me to stay calm and impassive, to not twitch around or twiddle my thumbs but I mean how awkward is that?! Just standing there with my arms falling limp at my sides. I was purposely not looking into any cameras, just keeping calm and looking at Mrs. Grimm in the crowd, she was smiling up at me and I couldn't help but look to her with so much respect and affection. This woman was one of a kind, she is the type that cares for everyone with no restrictions or conditions. When I heard all the reporters start shouting questions and going crazy I looked at Brian only to see he was done. We walked back into the building and they started taking pictures when I waited for Mrs. Grimm to catch up. Really is that so interesting? They helped me sneak out the back and after hailing a cab for Mrs. Grimm she left promising to call me later that night. I got into another cab with Aaron, Brian, and Tom and went to my apartment to drop me off first.

"We'll see you on Thursday for the appointment at the bank and then after that we can go eat somewhere or get some take out to talk more about what you should do with all this craziness."

"Sounds good. Thank you guys so much. I don't know which direction this whole trial thing would have gone if it wasn't for you three so thank you."

"It's no problem Bella, we are being paid very well by Mr. Evert, defending you on this trial is going to look great in our resume's, all the other guys wish they would have gotten to know you and become your friends the way we did so they could be the ones in charge of your case."

We all started laughing just remembering how all the lawyers tried to get close to me after the guys said they would take care of all my paper work for me, it's like they knew they had lost a good shot for their career but were trying to make up for it. After saying my goodbyes I quickly looked around to make sure no one was watching and went up the stairs as quick as was humanly acceptable. Am I still human? I need to cut myself and get a blood sample but I will hold off until I get to move into Mr. Richards place. I wonder if it will be weird living in an apartment of a man I know is dead? Just as I was going to sit down and eat, my phone started ringing and I saw it was Sam's house number, that usually means it was the whole pack gathered around the living room or dining table.

**Sam's pov.**

"Emily, baby come to bed. Why are you up?" it was only 6am and I know the rest of the pack will be here in an hour or two expecting breakfast, we had started watching the news together and calling Bella everyday but that also meant that I almost never had alone time with Emily.

"I'm just nervous for Bella, you know New York is 3 hours ahead so she is already in that meeting where they will tell her if she is going to get Reed Richards papers and that other thing that will give her the chance to make clothes fireproof. What if she doesn't get it?"

"Em, we can't worry about that. If it's meant to be, she will get it. Now come to bed and we can work out our nerves."

She giggled while walking into the bathroom.

"We don't have time for that Sam, everyone said they were coming for breakfast."

Argh! Damn them! Cock blocking mutts!

"Don't they have school? Work?"

"You know Jacob, Quil, Embry, and Seth will only come for breakfast and then go to school."

"Fine woman, have it your way! You are mine tonight though!"

.

.

1 hour later we were all sitting in the living room with plates on our lap, some were in chairs, couches, and others on the floor. So far only some light coverage on the people who entered the building had passed.

"Boys you all have 30 minutes to get to school so hurry up and finish your food!"

There were whines heard all around but finally 10 minutes later they were getting their backpacks and almost to the door when a blonde woman ran out of the building with mascara running down her cheeks, she was screaming like a banshee and went up to the first reporter crying and babbling something about fire.

"Is she the gold digger?"

"We can't know that Paul!"

"Bella said she hasn't shed a single tear over the guy!"

"Everyone grieves differently, you can't know what she is going through. Now hurry it up the rest of you boys are going to be late."

"Wait! She just said Bella's full name!"

"Her full name?!"

"She said she burned her hair! Look she is showing them!"

"Oh God she just called Bella a mutant on TV!"

"Oh that bitch!"

"Poor Bella, she must have lost control in there."

We waited 5 minutes and still nothing else happened only the crowd doubled in size.

"Boys! You are late! Get going now!"

"But we want to see Bella!"

"Come after school! Just go before you get detention again!"

Finally they left and so it was just Paul, Jared, Kim, Leah, Emily, and I. We waited over 30 minutes and Paul had already tried calling Bella's cell phone many times but she had not answered. Finally 3 guys came out with Bella following and so we assumed it was the 3 lawyers she had told us about. One with black hair stepped forward and took control of the crowd.

"_Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for giving us your attention today. I am one of Ms. Swan's lawyers. Unfortunately some events happened today that revealed Ms. Swan's identity to the public as well as some side effects to being exposed to the cosmic energy. As her lawyers it is our responsibility to clear her name and say that she was A) Not a mutant before the space station. And B) The incident with Mrs. Lent's hair was not done maliciously. That is an event that can be cleared up when we are at liberty to talk about it. Isabella herself will be free to give her own statement but in order to do that legally, we need this case to be closed. There are no questions that can be answered today so we ask for your cooperation to let her have her privacy for the duration of this trial. Thank you all very much, please have a good rest to your day."_

As soon as he was done speaking the crowd went crazy shouting out questions and I could see Bella internally freaking out, she looked calm on the outside but her eyes were going through all the faces in the crowd frantically. Soon, she disappeared back into the building and the news stations started speculating and analyzing the footage live. We changed it to another channel and that one was calling a representative of the mutant rights organization, they were looking to speak to someone about what they thought about the 'Von Doom victim' being a potential mutant and what it could mean.

"Wow, poor Bella."

The rest of the room just nodded because there was nothing we could say. Her life was just turned around again in less than an hour.

"That's it. I am going to call her until she answers."

Emily got up to get the phone and started dialing.

"Hello?"

"Bella! I'm so sorry it had to happen like this. What happened in that room?"

"Ugh that bitch, I'll tell you what happened but just let me add Darcy and Jane to the call okay? I just saw some missed calls from them too."

After everyone was added and Bella explained what a money hungry bitch that lady was we were all upset, Leah had to step out to phase and because it was her turn to patrol. Paul was just shaking in the corner trying to calm himself and I even heard the Darcy girl or Jane let out some curses.

"There is good news though, they gave me the formula and the apartment!"

Everyone responded at the same time and instantly became happy again, especially the 2 girls on the phone. They started talking in science terms and the rest of us were so lost until they started talking about the apartment.

"He has all his research in his lab and a whole lot of equipment, I can't wait to go in there and start doing some blood work. I have an appointment at the bank to transfer the money and the name of all the paperwork."

"That's right! How much money did ya get?"

"Jared! That is rude!"

"Kim I'm just asking! There's nothing wrong with that."

"Um yeah.. I was actually surprised. I got 2.46."

"Holy shit! Bella you are a millionaire!"

"Whoa that is a lot of money Bells!"

"No guys, not 2.46 million. I got 2.46 billion."

"What the fuck!"

Everyone seemed to shout it out at the same time much to Bella's giggling amusement.

"I know, I never imagined, I- wow. I guess I didn't process it very well since I got caught up in the incident."

Wait a minute.. Kim must have had my same thought because she suddenly shouted out.

"Wait! Incident? Are you saying that the gold digger caused the money incident over that amount? That is the amount that was 'not enough'? God now I understand why you freaked!"

"Yeah no shit!"

Silence… no one said a thing.

"Hello?"

"Did little Isabella actually just say shit?"

"Oh I did didn't I? I honestly don't know what has been happening! My thoughts have been full of curse words! Like constantly!"

We talked a bit more before Darcy and Jane had to go and then it was my turn to go relive Leah so we ended up saying our goodbyes too. Once I phased I showed Leah the whole conversation so she could be up to date on everything. She was blown away by the amount of money too and quickly ran home after that.

**Bella's POV**

God, it was only 4:00 pm and I was so exhausted. I had been cleaning out the whole apartment and getting some boxes together to be ready to move whenever available. The place came furnished so all I really had that was mine was my clothes, books, pictures, and all the little knickknacks I had been collecting over time. All of my old t shirts that didn't fit me anymore have been turned into a t shirt quilt, I was still working on it since I had so many of them but so far it looked really good.

**16 day's later- January, 27, 2011**

It had taken only 1 week and a half for them to figure out where I live. They had looked up all they could about me as far as going to Forks high to ask teachers about me and announcing on the news that my father had been killed recently, they hadn't tracked down Renee yet because they all focused on Charlie, it annoyed me to no end. Sure I was grateful that everyone they interviewed in Forks came out saying what an amazing and hard working person he was but the constant reminder of him every time I turned on the news had me going crazy! Also the fact that they made the public pity me even more now, saying I came to New York to escape the constant reminder of my dad only to have the Von Doom company do this to me. I mean it was true but how did they know that? It was hilarious how they made Mrs. Lent look like the villain though. She had been fined by the court but she was so pissed off about it that she went out to the cameras and told them how ridiculous the fine was, she then told them all about what happened in the room and how she had to slap me when I called her an ungrateful bitch, I honestly don't know what she was thinking, she was trying to justify herself by getting the public to feel bad for her but after she said that 2.46 billion was not nearly enough then they all turned against her and started talking down about her on the news channels and blog websites. She had not shown her face in public since that and I doubted she would go to the trial today. Finally today was the last day of the trial, the judge had already given the jury instructions and today was the deliberation and verdict. As I left my apartment there were only a few reporters outside since today they were all at the court. I got in a cab and went to pick up Mrs. Grimm so we could both go together. She had been my rock and the only person I actually talked to other than Brian, Tom, and Aaron. I spent most of my days locked in my apartment since I had no privacy outside of it, she would come over with food or ingredients for us to cook together. I could see how easily Mr. Richards saw her as a mom once, I was starting to see her as that too. Once we arrived in front of the building, it was crazy how many people were outside. Not only were there reporters but actual people, just standing outside waiting to hear the trial. I felt Mrs. Grimm tighten her hold on my hand.

"Come on dear, let's go inside."

I nodded since I was at a loss for words. As soon as we stepped out there was people pointing their cameras at us and shouting so many things that we couldn't make out anything. Stepping up to the curb Aaron put his arm around my shoulders in a half hug then Tom did the same.

"Brian is already inside, he is overlooking somethings. Ready to go in ladies?"

We nodded and went in. we were both so nervous, we knew he had to be guilty, I mean it was on footage! But there was just so much uncertainty. Once we sat down in the court room everything seemed to pass very quickly until the jury left the room to deliberate. Once they left it was a waiting game that was passing too slowly. After 30 minutes we decided to go sit in the courts cafe and try to eat some breakfast since we had been too nervous to pass anything this morning. We picked at our food and tried mindless chatter when finally 2 hours later Brian came to pick us up. The jury had decided. Walking back in we quickly sat down and I avoided locking eyes with Mr. Doom, I only had eyes for the judge as he spoke.

"The record will show the presence of the jury, the defending, and all council. Ladies and gentlemen I understand you have reached a verdict. The verdict form has been handed to the bailiff. Please come forward."

After the judge was handed the paper he read it over for a few moments before speaking.

"The court will read and record the verdict."

He passed the paper off to someone else who started reading it right away.

"New York State vs Victor Von Doom verdict count 1; We the jury dully impaneled and sworn in the above and titled action upon our oaths do find the defendant as to 3 counts of aggravated murder, guilty. Count 2: We the jury do find the defendant as to 1 count of embezzlement, guilty. Count 3; we the jury do find the defendant as to 7 counts of larceny, guilty. Count 4; we the jury do find the defendant as to 1 count of involuntary manslaughter, guilty. All jurors have agreed to this verdict. Signed, the foreperson."

There were gasps all around the courtroom, some in relief, some in surprise, and only one in horror coming from his mother. She had silently sat in the back corner hearing after hearing, never saying anything or looking at anyone. His main lawyer immediately jumped up and asked for the jury to be polled. The judge agreed and turned to the jury.

"Is this your true verdict so say you one and all?"

"Yes" responded all of them together.

"Ladies and gentlemen, the clerk is now going to ask each of you a question, please answer yes or no."

"Juror number 1 is this your true verdict?"  
"Yes."

"Juror number 2 is this your true verdict?"

"Yes."

"Juror number 3 is this your true verdict?"

"Yes."

Each and every one of them took their turn to say yes time after time, none of them sounded unsure, they all knew how guilty he is.

"Alright ladies and gentlemen, the next phase of the trial will begin momentarily, for now please follow the bailiff out to a short recess while I deliberate on sentencing."

After they had left Mrs. Grimm turned to me with tears in her eyes, we didn't say any thing but keep holding each others hands. Soon Brian, Tom, and Aaron joined us with smiles on their faces.

"I honestly thought he would come out not guilty for at least one of the charges."

"Yeah me too, the judge won't take long I think. Usually the sentencing takes place the day after but since its such a public and fast case, he probably already knew what he is going to decide on."

I knew they were probably right. The news cameras were in here and were setting up some stuff for the next and final part of the trial. The news stations that were allowed in had been feeding it live to all the channels. After 30 minutes everyone started to slowly trickle in. It took the judge almost 2 hours before he came back. He spoke right away and did not look at the defendant until he started reading.

"The court has considered the nature and circumstances of the offenses, I have considered the aggravating factors found by the jury, I have identified aggravating and mitigating factors and considered those factors in arriving at a sentence. As aggravation, the court finds as the jury found, the crimes were especially cruel. One offense was committed with at least 1 deadly weapon, the crimes involved substantial planning and preparation. The defendant did not render aid to his victims, the defendant tried to destroy evidence at the crime scene. The defendant went to great lengths to conceal his involvement in the crimes. The court has also considered as an aggravating factor, the emotional and financial harm to the victims family members. As mitigation the court finds the defendant has no prior criminal history, the defendant has no health issues, court has also considered the defendants childhood background, family history, and the way the defendant pleaded. The court finds the mitigation presented is not enough substantial to call for leniency and that a natural life sentence is appropriate. It is ordered, the defendant shall be incarcerated in the department of corrections for the rest of his natural life with no possibility of parole."

I am not sure what I was expecting, I felt relief of course but it was almost like I could float. I felt lighter, like a weight on my chest had been lifted. I'm not sure if it had fully set in my head the reality of what had happened, but when I looked up finally I saw as they were taking Victor out of the court room in hand cuffs, he had no expression on his face, he didn't utter a single word, I was not sure what to think about that but I knew I would certainly never worry myself over that man ever again. I could look forward and start my life over now. Mrs. Grimm looked over at me and smiled though her eyes looked misty.

"Lets leave this place dear, we never have to come back because of him again. We can let go of this and begin trying to move on with our lives."

"I was thinking along the same lines."

we smiled at each other and got up to leave the court room, as we stepped outside it was absolute chaos, there were people cheering, and reporters shouting at anyone who would give them attention as they came out of the court. I saw a lot of people giving interviews too and all 3 of my lawyers were giving an interview together as well. Mrs. Grimm and I were instantly surrounded and 1 reporter seemed to take control of the 'interview' they were trying to conduct. I started to feel nerves at all the cameras again but I was still high from the verdict so I thought _fuck it! Let's do this!_

"Ms. Swan! We saw the court footage just now and everyone is wondering how you feel about the verdict? You didn't seem to show much expression on your face, is there a reason?"

"Well I am not upset if that is what you mean, it took a few moments for the sentencing to sink in for sure. A part of me is so glad that people know his true colors, I am so happy that he did not get away with it like I thought he would, but another part of me really doesn't know how to feel yet, so many lives were lost and their loved ones still are grieving for them, it is not easy and I know this somewhat helps but it does not bring them back. This is only one step forward of many they have to take."

"Do you speak for Mrs. Grimm? What relation do you have with her? You both seem so close the past few weeks."

"Yes we have grown close, she originally wanted me to tell her about my experience and the last few moments on the space station, this was before we had seen the footage. We really bonded and became each others rock's through this. I know no one in New York other than the people that became involved in the case and we did not know any of the terms so we found ourselves together through all of the hearings, she is an angel, this woman did not deserve to have her son taken from her, she is the kindest woman I have met in my life and I am just honored that she has such a big heart to allow me in to hers."

I turned to see her cheeks had a small blush going and I giggled, never having seen it before. She spoke quickly to me before turning to the cameras.

"Oh don't flatter me dear. This young lady has a bright future ahead of herself, she was ready to expose her ability's and do anything to make the world see how guilty that man was. I look up to Bella, she is strong and has the right values that will make her achieve great things one day."

"How do you feel about the verdict?"

"I am with Bella, that man could not get away with all the things he did, I don't know what drives a person to have such a black heart and may god bless his soul but I am just so happy to know he will not be free to control or harm anyone again."

Everyone looked to their left when we heard a shriek of outrage, Victor's mom was walking back up the court steps and was headed right towards Mrs. Grimm, seems she heard what had been said and was not happy, I had never paid too much attention to her before but she seemed deranged now, like she was about to crack or she already had.

"Happy? You are happy? You as a mother understand the pain of losing a son, it was not enough you lost yours so you had to take mine away and you are happy?! You are a disgrace!"

It all happened so fast but I saw it almost in slow motion. She reached into her purse and pulled out a gun, from the corner of my eye I saw court officers start running our way but a second later she pulled the trigger and I lost control. Faster than I have ever moved, I pulled Mrs. Grimm behind me and instinctively put my hand up towards the bullet, as if that would shield me from getting hit. I know my flames had never been this hot before and I had never considered that heat melts metal, the melted goo seemed to land in my hand with no pain or impact, I was as shocked and confused as Mrs. Doom seemed to be but soon the fear and reality of what she had done sunk in and she turned the gun around to herself. I had never practiced it but it came instinctual now to simply stretch out my arm again and a second later she was dropping the hot gun onto the pavement where it then became a puddle of melted material too. Soon after she was tackled on to the pavement and placed in handcuffs. No one had said a word and no one moved, they all stared at me silently. I felt tears start to gather in my eyes but they soon evaporated as my face was still on fire, of all the days I chose today to not wear my suit under my clothes. I was so embarrassed, I can't believe I lost it like that in front of them. I looked up to the silent crowd and saw the reporters were still shocked and just filming but as soon as I looked over at the crowds of people they suddenly started cheering and applauding. I almost broke down crying in that second. I thought they would disapprove or hate me but they were all excited and smiling? Mrs. Grimm started to approach me but I quickly stumbled back. I was filled with panic, I didn't want to burn her.

"Bella dear, you won't burn me. I know you don't have your suit under but you can at least take the flame off your face, legs, and arms honey."

She approached me again but this time when she reached her hand to my arm I made the flames go away so she would not get burned. Tom, Brian, and Aaron came running towards me and took off their huge suit jackets to shield me from the cameras and give me one to wear after I turned it off. Brian took my chin in his fingers and lifted my head to meet his eyes.

"You okay?"

"Yeah, why are they cheering?"

He laughed as if I had said something stupid.

"Why? Bella you just saved a woman's life, you melted a freaking bullet before it hit you then you melted the whole damn gun! Sorry to sound unprofessional but that was fucking awesome and scary at the same time. You just gave these people an adrenaline rush!"

I just shook my head at him, he was being silly, at least that is what I thought. As soon as I turned off the flames and put the jacket on, the crowd started shouting 'Again!' over and over. The guys led me to the curb while I held on to Mrs. Grimm's arm. As I walked passed the crowd different people shouted different things but they all were positive things like "That was so cool!", "Don't be ashamed!", "That was awesome!" and the one that made me laugh was when a middle school looking kid yelled out "Whoa! You are like a human blow torch!" I couldn't help but to respond "A Human Torch! I like that."

Once we found a cab that fit all of us we rode to my apartment in silence. Just a combination of all the day's events were sinking in and I could see the energy drain out of everyone. We actually had the laziness to wait for the elevator and ride up 2 floors. Once crashed in my living room the hunger set in for me. I felt like I had not eaten in forever! There's a theory, what if I can burn the foods in my system when my whole body is in flames? I got up and started boiling water for pasta while I changed in my room, when I came out everyone had literally fallen asleep, I debated sleeping but again my hunger won out.

I called Darcy, Jane, and the pack while I cooked. Most of the girls had started crying for me as they saw the news but then were so happy, they said the news had not said a single bad thing about me, the reporter from the channel they were watching even turned to the camera and apologized for being so shocked, she apparently explained that it was amazing to see from up close and that she was not rendered silent because of other negative reasons. Many people had called the station to complain that the reporters were looking at me like I was the villain and that was what led me to look ashamed of myself. I was overwhelmed by what they were saying but so happy that no one was talking bad about me yet, I know it will happen but so far it has not. After the food was done I told them that I would call them soon. The smell made my sleepy guests wake up, they apologized for falling asleep but I played it off, I would have done the same, no matter where I was.

"So? Now that the trial is over are you finally going to move into the apartment?"

"Yeah, after the appointment at the bank we agreed that someone would come on Monday to take me to the building and we would go over it together as part of the insurance, to make sure that they know what condition the place is in and so I won't file any false claims. I'm thinking I will spend that week cleaning and arranging stuff you know? I don't have any furniture to move so I can do it on my own but I don't actually want to move in until it is all set."

"Bella dear, if you don't mind, can you call me after the insurance agent leaves so I can join you?"

"Of course! I was not sure how you would feel about it but I would love you to come with me."

"Bella we have meetings Monday and Tuesday but we can go Wednesday and help you move around any furniture that you might not like or if you just don't like the layout and want to switch stuff around."

"Thanks guys, I really appreciate it!"

We chatted for a little while longer but as soon as they all left and I locked up, I went to bed and quickly fell asleep with a smile on my face as I remembered what Paul had texted me during dinner.

"_I think you are a celebrity now, all the news channels are calling you 'The Human Torch!'"_


	8. Chapter 8

**They call her Human Torch! Chapter 8**

**Sunday, January, 30, 2011. **

I woke up feeling so refreshed once again, the past 3 nights have been the most peaceful sleep I have gotten in a while. I think the country was still high off the sentencing, at least I was and Mrs. Grimm was too. I have not been in much contact with anyone and as happy as I was that I was accepted by the public on Thursday, I still was not ready to turn on the TV or listen to any kind of radio show. Tomorrow the insurance agent was coming to go tour the apartment together so I had all my belongings in 9 boxes all stacked up by the door, I was living out of my little suitcase for now. I felt butterflies dancing around in my stomach just thinking about the move. I didn't have many things and even less that I actually value but all the folders that I had gotten in the bank with important paperwork was giving me nerves, I couldn't stop thinking what if I lose the deed with my name to the apartment or the packet that proves I opened up that account for the money, god forbid I lose the file that contains the formula to unstable molecules, it was incredible to see it on paper, it just seemed so simple that I almost didn't believe it. I was going through every drawer in this place for the third time just checking that I might not have missed something. I was looking forward to dropping these keys off at the lobby and never coming back up, not that it was a bad place but it just wasn't mine. A knocking on the door scared the crap out of me, I had not buzzed anyone up and I guess I grew use to granting permission before hearing a knock by now, my heart started pounding as my head filled with stupid scenarios and the same little words taunting me '_a vampire wouldn't need to be buzzed up'. _Shaking myself out of it I took a deep breath and walked towards the hall, as soon as I opened the door I relaxed seeing as they were certainly not vampires, there were 2 men, one tall black man with a long black trench coat and an eye patch and a shorter white guy in a suit and a comb over. They had a very intense feel to them and that alone was enough to put me on edge.

"Hello Ms. Swan. My name is Phil Coulson and this is my boss, Director Fury."

"Okay.. Hello. You men clearly know who I am."

"Would you like to invite us in? We are here on private matters."

Instantly I tensed up again and narrowed my eyes, were they serious? They wanted to be invited in to be alone with me behind closed doors… of course they noticed my now tense form and visibly tried to look less formal. This Fury guy has yet to talk but I could feel he was the one in charge, obviously. What was a Director doing at my door? And what was he a Director of anyway?

"Ms. Swan we are no threat to you, we just want to talk, besides even if we were threats, you certainly have proved capable of defending yourself."

That's right fucker, I can burn that smirk off your face. I didn't say anything, just nodded and stepped away from the door to give them space to pass. I opted to seat them in the kitchen table instead of the living room, I felt the ease of sitting on couches was not fitting to this situation, the look they exchanged made it clear they knew what I was doing. For the first time, after staring at me for so long the Director finally spoke.

"We are going to be honest here Ms. Swan. We both work for S.H.I.E.L.D. I am Director Fury and Coulson is an Agent. We are here today to speak to you about the Avenger initiative."

"Okay, first of all, shield?"

"It stands for Strategic, Homeland, Intervention, Enforcement, and Logistics, Division."

"Strategic Homeland Invention..You lost me."

"Intervention. You will catch on to it eventually."

"Will I?

"If things go well today then yes, you will."

"What is the Avenger initiative? You seem like upstanding men, so get to the point gentlemen."

"I'm glad to know you do not dilly dally."

"Not with strangers no."

He sighed and sat up straighter.

"Ms. Swan there is an idea, called the Avengers Initiative. The idea is to bring together a group of remarkable people, see if they can become something more, see if they can work together when we needed them to, to fight the battles we never could. Heroes, Vigilantes, those are all nice ideals and with so many things going on in the world, many have arisen but just like in books and movies, for there to be a hero, there must be a villain. We need a response team, one full of people who can help humanity when human armies are not enough."

I stayed silent for a while, not knowing what to say, or what to believe for that matter. These guys wanted me to do what exactly? Mr or should I say Agent Coulson started speaking, I think he saw my confusion.

"In plain terms Ms. Swan, we are here to recruit you. There is no Avengers at the moment, it is an idea, a backup plan if you will."

"Yes, if you were ever to be in the Avengers, if the plan was ever accepted and had a reason for them to be assembled then you first must have a semblance of training. What I am here to offer is a chance to be trained by some of the best Agents in the world, a place to hone in on your skills and learn things you could never learn anywhere else. To be a part of something bigger than you and I. To accomplish things no ordinary person could."

"That all sounds great but I'm sure you understand when I ask, are you really the good guys? Or do you pretend to be? How am I to know that you are not just using me to learn more about my ability? Do you have other mutants on staff?"

"Those are answers that you can answer yourself in time. We fight for freedom of the people, the whole reason we want to recruit you is to use you when we need to help innocent people. You tell me Ms. Swan, are we the bad guys? No we do not currently have mutants on staff, unless one of our employees are hiding something but we do thorough background checks."

"Why me then? There are mutants I'm sure that have abilities that far surpass mine so why would you choose me to employee?"

"Do not underestimate your power, the footage I saw was quite impressive, to be able to melt a bullet coming at you? Fire is a very potent weapon-"

"How do you know I am not a threat?"

"I did consider you one until last night."

"What changed then?"

"You asked me why you? Let me answer that. I have seen mutants with great power, I have witnessed what they can do but the moment that I approached them, they were either afraid because humans have looked down on them or they refused because they looked down to humans. Have you met a mutant before Ms. Swan?"

"Not personally."

"Well I'm sure you will soon. There is a group called the X-men, they are a team of very good people, fighting for mutant rights while at the same time fighting to maintain the equality, they are taught that though what they can do is great, it does not mean they are better. The people who don't agree quickly leave that group but the ones who do are recruited immediately. What I am saying is that there are good mutants like them that I would appreciate having on my team but there is a limited amount of them, humans have treated them in a way that has left most mutants using their powers for their own good, that is not the type of Agents I want on my team. When I saw you melt that bullet I thought of how hard it could be to kill you. When I saw how fast you moved to stand in front of that woman, I thought of how hard it would be to catch you. Then last night as I looked up all I could on you and I saw how that old woman spoke of you, how you were willing to expose yourself to assure that Mr. Doom would spend the rest in his life behind bars, I thought how hard it would be to recruit you."

Well shit. I knew I wanted something more out of life, I had been thinking for days what I would do now that the trial is over, I didn't feel that school was for me, I can't imagine having a boring job sitting behind a desk all day, so what would I do? Then this guy comes and offers me something to do. I knew I was over thinking things, I knew that no matter how unclear it was what exactly I was getting into, I had already decided.

"I will never let anyone take a DNA sample from me."

"We are not asking for one."

"As long as it's clear never to do so."

The men got up and smirked in a way that actually didn't seem arrogant. They both gave me a firm handshake.

"Welcome to the team Ms. Swan."

"Thanks but if you want me to stay on then you better start calling me Bella."

They both gave a hint of a smile but I was quickly learning that these men were very inexpressive.

"So where is there a contract, when do I start and where do I go? Also is it like business casual or do I have to dress as uptight as you?"

Mr. Coulson looked genuinely surprised as he looked down at himself, what did he think a suit was casual? The General cracked a smile seeing my bewildered look and Mr. Coulson's confusion.

"Contract will be given after your training. After we have evaluated you and made sure you will be a fitting Agent. As for where, Agent Coulson will pick you up bright and early Monday morning."

"Sorry, I have an important meeting on Monday."

I looked to my stack of boxes thinking of what a busy day I will have.

"Moving?"

"Yes, I have to tour the apartment on Monday and move in."

"It is going to take more than just one day to move all of this."

"No, I am only taking those boxes by the door. The furniture is not mine."

"You are going to tell me that all of your belongings are in those few boxes?"

I shrugged my shoulders not knowing how to respond to that.

"I don't need much I guess. Plus the apartment is fully furnished. This was just mine until after the trial."

They seemed surprised and looked at me a new way, not sure what it was all about though.

"Ms. Sw- Bella, you will fit right in. He will pick you up on the following Monday then, give you time to adjust."

They made to leave but I stopped them.

"How will you know where I live next Monday?"

"We have our way's. See you soon Bella."

With that they left and I sat down to process everything that has just been said. I think it's time to turn on the TV now.

**Monday, January, 31, 2011**

_Buzz..Buzz_

I was already kinda anxious so when my phone started ringing I was already on my way out the door before answering.

"Hello?"

"Howdy ma'am, my name is Joseph Young, I am downstairs with a cab if you are ready for our appointment."

"Yes I'm on my way down now."

"Great then I'll see you in a minute!"

Man this guy sounded very enthusiastic, I hope it doesn't get on my nerves.. Getting down I saw that there were only like 5 photographers outside, I hadn't left this place in day's so its good to see they had given up. Those 5 quickly jumped up and started asking me questions and taking pictures but before it could seem rude that I was not answering, I jumped in the cab, startling the poor insurance agent. This guy looked like he was no older than 26, what the fuck? Well I was not one to judge, he must be good if he is an insurance agent at so young. He saw me and I saw the surprise on both him and the taxi driver.

"Wow, I wasn't sure to believe the name on the form or not but you are really her! I mean you are you!"

I started laughing because this guy was suddenly flustered, usually I was in his place not the one making other people blush.

"Uh yeah I'm definitely me."

"Oh that sounded rude didn't it? I am sorry ma'am!"

"No really its fine. So where exactly is this building?"

"You- You haven't been yet?"

"No, they gave me the address and keys but since I was not allowed entry until I came with you I didn't bother going at all."

"Well I have the layout papers here and the documents, it seems no one has been in the penthouse since the last owner passed away."

"Penthouse?"

"Yes? Is there something wrong?"

"I- Yes, it's an apartment not a penthouse."

"No Ma'am, Reed Richards is the name I have on these papers, is that the name of the last owner or did I bring the wrong papers?"

"Yes that is the correct name but, I just- I didn't know it was a penthouse."

"Oh, well.. surprise! it's a penthouse."

Holy shit.. just shit. Why did they give me a penthouse? Why did no one tell me it was a penthouse? Thank god it's not for rent and that Mr. Richards already finished paying it or else I wouldn't be able to afford it! Well I could with the settlement money but I did not want to depend on that too much. Also how the hell did he pay for it?

"Would you like to hear some building history while we get there?"

"Sure, thanks."

"No problem, the building first of all is on 42nd street and Madison Avenue. It says here that the building was built in 1949 by the Leland Baxter Paper Company and it's purpose was to accommodate pulp recycling machinery which would explain the tall floors. Every floor is 24 feet which for New York is very grand. It looks like the top 5 floors were bought outright by Mr. Richards and no one has access to it. If they wanted to go to the roof they would have to ask your permission since there is no other way, besides there is nothing on the roof that they would need to access. Mr. Richards made sure that all air conditioning, electrical panels, antennas, and boiler rooms are all located on the 29th and 30th floor so you will never have to hear any neighbors making noise. There is a security system that was designed by Mr. Richards, we have not been in so we are not sure how it works but it says that it can scan people in the elevator and from the roof access so that no one that does not have permission will be able to get in. The top 5 floors are completely airtight; all doors are airlocks. Complete environmental and atmosphere support is provided by the buffer zone which apparently is the 29th and 30th floors as well. Hmm lets see what else, ah the landlord for the rest of the building is one Walter Collins, he- ma'am? Ma'am are you okay?"

"Yes, just- just that place sounds very.. big. I never expected..."

"Well I am sure you will find yourself busy keeping up with it then, I myself am excited to see this place for myself. It says Mr. Richards was constantly taking out permits to build and add on to the place so who knows what it really looks like. It does say that all the outer walls are obviously made of glass, as is the norm in New York now but it says the material of the windows are a mix of various glasses and plastics. They are 2 feet thick and are mirrored so you can see out but no one could see in, also with something as thick as that well its obvious that they are armored, no way could simple weapons cut through that glass."

"I wonder why he had to do that."

"Probably for no reason, it has become very popular believe it or not. I think it is that building there."

He pointed at a cornered building and it was stunning, all of it was mirrored, I even saw some people standing in front and checking their clothes or teeth on it before they kept on walking.

"You will be happy to see that the 1st floor is all an open lobby and there are 4 entrances so no matter which direction you are coming from, there is an entrance on every side of the building. No need to walk all around to get to the front anymore. This first time we will need the badge that you were given and the number for the elevator but once you get to Mr. Richards old office you can change everything for the elevator to scan you and automatically take you to your first floor. There are no buttons for the top 5 floors so you will always need a badge/ key card for guests, you can make as many as you want, for yourself you can do the scan options or just change the pin number to whatever you want it to be. You will have quite a few options for security but just know that there is no one else that can access this place without your permission. There are motion sensors so the system will send you a text with a picture every time someone gets to your floors, even if they use the pin or had a key card."

"Wow, he was serious about his security wasn't he?"

"Apparently, I am impressed by all this, you are very lucky to have it ma'am."

I only nodded while he quickly paid the driver, I was so glad that the privacy screen was closed, I wouldn't want the public finding out where I am moving to quite yet. Walking in was very nice, there was a desk for questions or concerns but that was it so I liked how open everything was. We came in through the Madison entrance and the elevators were all on the opposite side, against a wall. The first one was access to floors 1-6, second was for floors 7- 13, third was floors 14-21, the forth elevator was by key card only for the other penthouses on floors 22-28 including access to the 'Buffer zone' on floors 29 and 30. the last one all the way to the right was for floors 29-35. 5th elevator is mine I guess? That is kinda cool, I won't have to ever wait for it or awkwardly share it with strangers. I went right up to it and pressed the card near the scanner, immediately the doors opened up and revealed a pretty big elevator, I could easily fit a king size bed in here and I guess that is the point of it since there are no stairs to do the moving through. Are there stairs? I didn't see any.

"Doesn't this place have stairs?"

"Yes they do, the entrance is behind the lobby desk but there is no access to the top 5 floors through there, there should be instructions in Mr. Richards office on how to access the stairs from your floors to the stairs on the rest of the floors, it's hidden I think so that no one else could use them."

Of course they are. We got in and the elevator moved so fast that I actually unbalanced forward a bit. Less than 35 seconds later we were already at the top and the doors opened to a very big opened space. Most of the walls seemed to be made of glass in this floor and to my left there was a glass room with no door, it was full of couches, it looked more like a sitting room to chat with stiff guests. The more we explored the more it became apparent that this was a guest floor, it did not have any personal rooms just a lot of entertainment rooms. The front was a siting room but the further into the floor you went the funner it got. There was a game room with machines and a pool table all the typical stuff and it was all glass walls so you could see into the next room which was where there was some plush couches and a gigantic screen with all kinds of systems and a bookshelf full of video games and board games. There was a gym room with an indoor pool that fit about 25 people, along with changing rooms and bathrooms that had showers, even a small kitchen that was more for storing snacks and heating up stuff but not equipped to cook an actual meal. It was all very grand and I was overwhelmed, especially when I saw the basketball court and sauna, I don't even freaking play basketball!

We went up to the second floor and it seemed more homey, there was a formal dining hall and kitchen, an informal dining area around the kitchen counters, a large TV area that looked very comfortable, lounging area, a computer lab, library and 6 big guest rooms, they were more like suites with how big they were, each had bathrooms and a king size bed except 2 of them had 2 sets of bunk beds. I really don't know why Mr. Richards needed all this or what he was preparing for but one thing for sure, this was all too much for me. I was only 2 floors in and already I didn't want to keep going. Joseph was having a freaking blast, he couldn't believe all this either and I think maybe I would have a hard time getting him to leave if the floors had more luxuries like this. I just wanted to see the lab!

The third floor finally had less things, it had 2 offices and one was definitely Reed's, it was full of files and papers everywhere but it looked like it had an odd order to them. The other one I think was Mr. Grimm's office. There were 3 large suites and 2 of them were actually used so I knew it was their rooms. There was a conference room that doubled as a projection room and had a huge map of the world on the wall. Computer lab, a storage room full of supplies, a photo analysis lab/ server room.

As well as another small basic kitchen, there was a kitchen on every floor but the one on the second floor was a dream, I couldn't wait to use it.

The fourth floor was amazing! It was not a lab, no it was labs as in plural! It had a sitting room in the middle with a TV but all the walls here were glass, you could see into all of the floor and the endless equipment in the labs. Each one had 2 switches by the equipment, one for lights and another to dim the glass walls and make it so no one could see in or see out. There was a biology lab, detoxification station, machine shop, robotics, biology complex, computer centre, medical centre chemistry (organic and physics) multiplex, electronic lab, and research labs. I was in heaven reading the labels on all the doors, Joseph was the quiet one now because he had no idea what was what. I wish I could get Jane in here now, she would freak out and never leave. I wanted to stay in here and go through every single drawer and cabinet but I knew I just needed to finish this walk through.

Finally the fifth floor was not exactly a floor, but it had a freaking observatory! I couldn't wait to lay down on the floor and just open the observation roof to gaze at the stars, it was beautiful. There was also the scanner roof access that opened up and gave access to the rest of the penthouse, I guess that would be handy if I had a helicopter and I flew everywhere but for now there wasn't really a use, it was a hangar, a very very large open and empty space but the more I looked around, it was empty but with the hard concrete floor, it seemed very fire resistant, it was a potential spot to practice my fire. After going over some more things and getting some more paperwork he finally said it was time to leave.

"Alright ma'am last thing before I go, can you come with me to the parking garage so we can look for the car?"

"You've got to be fucking kidding me."

"Excuse me?"

"Don't tell me he left a car. I only asked for the apartment, why am I getting a car?"

"Well to be honest, in situations like this the bank comes and looks at the car, if it were a nice brand that was less than 3 or 4 years old then they would take it, sell it, and keep that money but this car is older so they would not get more that 10 thousand, it's not worth it so they will just let you keep it. Besides, anything that was under his name and address is now under yours, those are the papers you signed."

I sighed and shrugged my shoulders as I followed him into the elevator. We went down to the garage level and walked around for 3 minutes just pressing the button on the key he had until we heard a car beep, I almost started laughing when I saw the car, it was an adorable looking classic car, it was a dark blue and had the letters GTO on the side and the word Pontiac in the front. It looked older but still well kept. Perfect for me really, nothing flashy.

"Wow, that's neat! it's a '74 Pontiac GTO! That is a nice car, looks pretty well taken care of too."

"It looks like a classic, why didn't the bank take it then? aren't they supposed to be worth a lot of money?"

"Well whoever came probably did not know about cars and this is like an underrated Classic, it is not worth much, 30 thousand at best if it was fully restored but this one looks worth 15 thousand maybe, plus who knows how the engine runs. I don't have to report this, I don't feel like it is worth the trouble of paperwork. Here are the keys. Ma'am it has been an absolute pleasure serving you and meeting you, if you need anything you can find my personal number as well as my office number in the papers I left upstairs."

"Thank you very much."

"Ma'am, may I be so bold as to ask you for a picture? For myself, I promise I would not share it publicly! I just want to show my sister and momma back home."

"I'm not a celebrity, I – well sure, I guess."

"Thank you ma'am, I know you are technically a celebrity but you have been on the TV so much that I feel like I know you!"

We took the awkward picture with his phone, he stretched his arm and wrapped the other around me, I think I came out doing a grimace but that was so strange, he had a wide grin on his face as he walked away and went through the street exit of the garage while I went back towards the elevator. As soon as I got back up I called Mrs. Grimm and she told me she would call when she was downstairs. Meanwhile I went and turned on Mr. Richards office computer, hacking the password (thank god for the computer science courses I took in Arizona) then I accessed the security program and rewrote it as my own, I changed the settings to how I wanted and for now I made sure to keep the roof access locked at all times. I made a new pin for the elevator and deactivated any key cards that have ever been made. Who knows if any others have a key, the last thing I want is walking in one day and meeting a stranger in my supposed new 'home'. It is going to take a while for this to feel like home though. Those first 2 floors are overwhelming, although I could see myself relaxing in that pool.

1 hour later I saw a text on my phone asking for permission to call the elevator. Mrs. Grimm had just called so I knew it was her and granted access. I went to wait for her by the entrance of the first floor. As soon as she walked in she looked around and started crying, we spent a few minutes sitting in the front room before she composed herself and we toured the place together. It almost felt like the first 2 floors were for show, like no one lived in them at all, they were dusty but not truly messy or dirty at all. The rest of the floors however seemed like actual people had lived lives here. We spent the whole day filling up boxes of Mr. Grimm's things from the room he used when he was here and then we went through Mr. Richards office and bedroom, packing up all of his awards and certificates, she wanted to keep it all as well as some photo albums that we found. I helped her carry the 7 boxes and we put them by the elevator. We decided to test out that old car, although I was nervous to drive in New York traffic for the first time, we made it to her town home, unloaded the boxes, said goodnight and finally I took the car back to it's spot, locked up the elevator and took a cab back to the small apartment to sleep for now. I would clean up all the rooms before moving my own boxes over there. I wanted to wash all the bedding and drapes too so I had to go buy all kinds of cleaning supplies. I fell asleep quickly with a tired but satisfied feel to my day.

**2 Days later. Wednesday February, 2, 2011**

I was so tired and sore, I spent the past 2 days washing, sweeping, moping, and dusting every inch of this place. I had even bought a new cleaning and heating system to update the pool. Do you know how hard it it to find a pool supply store in New York? Yeah. Today Tom, Brian, and Aaron were coming over to see the place and it was a good thing too because I needed help folding everything I had washed and redoing every bed with all the sheets I had washed, it was back breaking work but they were gonna be put to work. I had Skyped with the pack last night and showed them every room. Tonight I was going to do the same with Jane and Darcy, the guys really wanted to visit to play on the first floor but I knew that Jane would come over the weekend as soon as she saw all the labs, I was very excited to show her, hopefully she would bring Darcy with her, she has been having trouble as school, she hasn't met anyone or made any friends other than Jane and I guess it has been weighing her down a bit. Hopefully she can find her place soon. My phone rang with an alert that the guys were asking permission to enter. I went back down through the stairs to wait for them. The stairs were tricky, the ones on all my floors were there and visible but to get from my first floor 31st to the public floor 30th it saw like a secret passage, I had to go through it and have my hand scanned as well as my eye, it was crazy and kinda pointless since it was so hidden but in case of an emergency where the elevators were not working then I guess it was useful.


	9. Chapter 9

**They call her Human Torch! Chapter 9**

**Monday February 7, 2011**

It was 6 in the morning when I got woken up by a call from an unknown number, I reluctantly answered knowing that today I was supposed to get picked up by Coulson, I really couldn't get myself to call him Mr and I was sure as hell not going to call him Agent so I guess just Coulson will do, at least in my head. I wasn't about to be rude to him in person.

"Hello?"

"Hello Bella. This is your wake up call in case you were not already up. I will be in the lobby of your building at 7 am sharp. Wear comfortable shoes, we will be walking today to our headquarters and you will begin your training."

"Do I even want to know how you got my number? Let alone found out where I moved to?"

"If it all works out and your training goes well then you will find out with time."

"Well alright then. I'll be down on time."

"Great."

He hung up without another word and I was surprised but thankful because saying goodbye on the phone was always awkward. I jumped out of bed, took a shower, and ate some waffles with peanut butter while I got ready. After brushing my teeth I locked everything up and got on the elevator with 6 minutes to spare. I felt so relaxed knowing that there was nothing left to clean or organize in the penthouse, I had even stocked all the kitchens when I ran out of things to do, it had started out as a blank canvas of sorts. After cleaning every room I truly felt like I made it mine and after a few days I was now comfortable enough to call it my own.

"Hello Bella, beautiful building you moved into."

"Hi, yeah it is nice thanks."

"Well lets get a move on, headquarters is only a few minutes away. I was pleasantly surprised when I saw that you moved so close."

"Yeah? What street is the building on?"

"We are located in time square, 48th street and Broadway. Broadway is only 3 streets over and since this is 42nd street, 48th street will be a few short blocks away. You can get there in 5 minutes."

"So, what can I expect today?"

"Training will start immediately, you will have to sign a non disclosure agreement of course-"

"Of course."

"Yes, then you will train with our top 2 Agents. You will not be trained with other recruits and you will not speak to many others, we spoke to you about the Avenger Initiative, that is a top secret idea, no one knows about it yet, that is why we are training you separately, we will be putting you under different scenarios and the training you will receive is going to be much more intense. You will be a secret weapon of sorts if you are to become an Agent."

"So I will only be in contact with those 2 Agents, you, and the Director?"

"There will be others on that floor that you may stumble upon but they are instructed to not speak about you or ask any questions. No one knows why you are really here and we will keep it that way, only Director Fury, his bosses, the 2 Agents, and myself know about the Initiative."

"Alright."

We kept walking in silence the rest of the way and I was thankful that he seemed to know I needed a few moments to think, he seemed really serious but nice, kinda reminded me of Jasper a little bit. Ignoring that thought. Less than a minute later we went into an unmarked building, it was bustling and grand but it had no name or logo anywhere that gave off to what was inside, it did put me at ease a little that there were so many people constantly coming in and out, dressed casual and some very professional. I was on the super casual scale I guess but he really only told me to wear comfortable shoes so it better not be a problem. We did not stop in the front desk or sign anything, he greeted some people with a nod and steered me away from others that stopped to stare at me but overall, he went straight to the elevator, scanned his badge, and took me straight up to floor 8 where the elevator doors opened to a small reception, he led me to the back where there were a few changing room and showers.

"There are closets through that door, pick a suit that is your size and when you are ready, step through that door there. We will be waiting on the other side."

"We?"

"Yes."

Without any more explanation or comment, he left me alone to change and get ready. Okay, they said they would not ask for a DNA sample so I can be honest about my strength right? They saw my speed on the news footage, everyone did. So I won't fake anything, all the training that the pack has put me through and all my new qualities have to be at my forefront, they will train me to have skill but I have to show them that they are only adding to my talent, they have to see and understand that I have my own moves that I can use against them if they ever try to take me down or decide I am not useful to them anymore. I can not show any vulnerabilities to these people. Taking a deep breath I stepped out to a huge gym room that was lined with sponge. In the middle stood Director Fury, Coulson, and 2 other people who I assumed were the Agents. One man and one woman, good, at least I won't be surrounded by men. Fury stepped forward and started talking after he gave me a once over.

"Bella, this is Agent Barton and Agent Romanoff. They will be training you, most of the time it will be both of them, sometimes one or the other if one is on a mission. Agent Coulson and I will be the ones directly overlooking the training, when they are done with you, you will move on to a short training with the both of us to test how ready you are. If we feel you are a correct fit then you will move on to overlook the training of our normal recruits to learn how they do things in missions. Eventually we will start sending you on missions with both of them, they are potential fittings to join the Avengers initiative as well which is another reason why they are training you, all 3 of you must learn to fight together as a team, you will learn to fight individually as well as fighting as a united front, get to know each other outside of your training, that is an order Romanoff."

He paused when she rolled her eyes but quickly kept going, I saw an amused smirk on both Agent Coulson and Agent Barton.

"I expect you to be in this room and ready to begin at 8 am Monday to Thursday, be here at 1 pm on Friday's to observe other stations and to spend personal time together. That is the new schedule for all 3 of you, I will not repeat this ever again, I expect you to understand that by spending time together, you learn about each others personalities, therefore fighting better as a unit if you can anticipate your teammates next move. Twice a week Agent Coulson or myself will be in to oversee the progress. Have a good experience here Bella, welcome to S.H.I.E.L.D."

He turned to leave and Coulson followed. Well now this is awkward, its like when a teacher pairs you up to do a group project with kids you have never talked to before. Agent Romanoff seemed very disinterested, it was clear she was not going to say anything so Agent Barton cleared his throat and began.

"Well I guess the first thing we need to do is test where you are now so we can see your progress later. Lets start with the track then move over to the weights."

We all moved on to a track in the adjacent room, it was a huge track and it had what I thought were sensors all around it.

"All 3 of us will run, this system measures and analyses your running so it will tell us how fast you run, do so as fast as you can."

We got in line and when the little light on the wall turned green, we all took off, I easily passed them and the track that looked so big became a little thing once I started, when I finished they were still not halfway done. I waited for them for almost 1 minute and when they got to me they gave me a look like they couldn't believe that I actually ran it, it occurred to me that they had a thin sheen of sweat and were a little out of breath but I was fine, like I did nothing at all. I guess I never noticed since all the running I had done was with the wolves and they didn't get tired either. Agent Barton went to the little screen by one of the sensors to check the results. I heard him muttering under his breath

"Gotta be fucking with me. It chooses now to break."

"It didn't work?"

He looked up at me startled

"You heard me?"

"Yeah, sorry. My hearing is a little bit better now."

He sighed as he fiddled with the screen.

"It measured us but it didn't even detect you. Guess this does not apply to you. Let's try weight testing, we can see how much you can lift."

I followed him to the middle of the room and again I lifted more than both of them combined. Finally Agent Romanoff seemed annoyed and reluctantly impressed.

"Okay so these tests don't help us in anyway and I can tell you are holding back in some areas so lets just move on to technique."

Agent Barton looked at me in question.

"Are you holding back?"

"Yes, but that is necessary. If I really let myself go and run as fast as I can then I would burn my clothes off and probably burn the track as well."

Their eyes widened but quickly recovered.

"Don't you have a suit that prevents you from burning?"

"No, it just doesn't burn."

"What do you mean? I don't understand"

I thought of a way to show them and simply couldn't come up with an explanation other than showing them. I went back to the changing room and got my suit from my purse. Thank god I thought to bring it just in case. I went back to the room where they were and stood back.

"This is what happens when I do not have the suit."

I let the flames engulf me and felt the clothes turn to ash as they fell to my feet. Slowly I turned off the flames everywhere except my intimate parts then I put on my unstable molecule suit, their eyes widened as they saw it become covered in flames but not burn like the other one had. Once I had it well zipped up I turned the flames completely off. They stared at me not sure what to say or do.

"Well that sucks."

Agent Barton looked at her in shock.

"NAT!"

"What? I didn't mean it in a bad way, the fire can be useful but can you imagine burning all the clothes you have? It sucks."

"You don't have to say it out loud! That is offensive to her."

"No really its not. It does suck, soon I won't have to burn through all my clothes though, I have not started yet but whenever I have some extra time I can make the formula to soak all my clothes and make them like this suit."

"That will be easier for you I'm sure."

"Yeah."

There was a pause in conversation before Agent Romanoff suggested we get started in techniques. We went straight to throwing punches, well they did anyway. After they saw how hard my skin was compared to theirs. We spent the day teaching me how to control punches, after I punched Agent Barton a little too hard and he started coughing, gasping for air. I apologized for 10 minutes before Agent Romanoff told me to shut up.

**Friday February 25, 2011**

This was the 3rd Friday that I was going to spend with Clint and Natasha. The past 3 weeks had been bumpy but good. They taught me so much so far but we did not really talk about ourselves too much, they had sat me down and had a serious talk with me about trust, they could tell that I was not completely comfortable and though they did not ask me to open up completely, they did ask that I bring my guard down a bit, they told me that we were not like the other Agents, that we were supposed to be a team and so we had to really be okay around each other. Fight wise we were getting really good at fighting side by side, I learned to read their body language and anticipate their next move and they as well had gotten better at fighting. They had to learn different ways to try and actually hurt me since I was stronger so they had gotten creative, stronger, and faster. It was a win all around. Today while observing other recruits and the way they were trained, it was all so cold and detached, they were being prepared to fight and do missions but when I really though about the way Natasha and Clint really made me feel like I was a part of something and like I really fit in, unlike the way everyone else was being trained. Well it made me want to show them that I really had let my guard down, I decided to invite them to the penthouse, into my private sanctuary. The first week we went to a coffee shop and really only exchanged 10 words at most before going home. The second week we were more comfortable around each other so they took me to one of their favorite restaurants. This last week they had that talk with me and I feel like we actually bonded when Natasha was able to knock me out, as strange as that sounds it made us all closer. I had bled from my lip for a few seconds and Clint got a rag to help dab my lip, when he was done he offered it to me, giving him a questioning look he answered.

"Take this as a sign of trust, we promised not to ask for your DNA, I won't go behind your back and take this. Take it home and destroy it or do whatever you want but know that I gave it to you instead of trying to study it."

I almost started crying when he handed the dirty rag over. It meant so much to me and it really did help me trust them so I thought I would show them trust by inviting them over and cooking for them. We were done observing for the day and had just changed back to normal clothes.

"So, for today's 'bonding' what do you guys wanna do?" Natasha beat me to answer Clint.

"I was thinking we could go to a quiet place, it has been a pretty busy week and I don't feel like being around too many loud people."

"Actually guys, I wanted to invite you to my apartment for dinner? Maybe play some games or watch mindless TV afterwards? Its fine if you guys aren't comfortable with that yet though."

They both looked very surprised but pleased. They agreed and I even saw Natasha give me a soft smile, that was an accomplishment on its own since she was such a bad ass, I had grown to respect them both but especially Natasha, she had a deadly grace to her that you had to fear but admire at the same time. We walked in silence to my place but it was not awkward, I was so thankful that we all shared that personality trait; we didn't feel the need to fill all silent moments with mindless chatter. We got to the building and the elevator quickly took us up. When the door opened I stepped out and had to look back when I didn't hear any footsteps behind me. They were staring around in shock and I had the urge to snap a picture.

"I had that same look on my face when I first stepped out the elevator too."

"We just thought you lived alone, that is what your file said."

"I do."

"How the hell can you afford this then?"

"It's already paid off, you want a tour while I explain?"

They nodded and so I began showing them all the stuff in the first and second floor, Natasha had to drag Clint out of the game room when he found some game that he had played as a kid but never found again.

"Nat! That game was my favorite! I played for hours as a kid and one day I went to the arcade and it was suddenly not there, I never got the name and I never found it after that!"

"Idiot you can play later, she is in the middle of a tour and a story. Plus aren't you hungry?"

His hunger apparently won out because he quickly stopped pouting. They sat on the kitchen counter while I started meal prepping, I had bought all the ingredients to make Italian food, I figured Grandma Swan's lasagna recipe was best to impress. While I cooked I talked and even offered them some red wine that Mr. Richards had left behind. They both accepted and so I got out some fancy crystal glasses he had left as well. I told them all about the trial and why I asked for the apartment "I still have no idea why they gave me this place. I thought it would be an actual apartment with one or two bedrooms and a lab but then I got this, its ridiculous." I also told them about the formula that made my suit and how I asked for that as well.

"Its lucky you didn't leave that suit behind then, seems very handy. I think you should just keep it as your uniform for missions and stuff"

"Yeah, it seems to fit you better too."

After they finished their wine and the lasagna was in the oven I moved to show them the top 2 floors, they seemed more impressed and comfortable there, of course with S.H.I.E.L.D. all labs looked like this so they were familiar in the science scene but they admitted that they didn't know much when it came to science. We went back to the second level kitchen and waited for the lasagna. Dinner was on the silent side but they really enjoyed it, they both got seconds and Clint even got thirds. They explained that between missions and not knowing how to cook very well, they almost never had home cooked meals. After dinner we sat and turned on the TV for background noise, I noticed them exchanging glances after talking about home cooked meals but decided not to say anything, I excused myself to go take my shoes off and put some socks on, also to give them privacy to say whatever the looks meant. When I came back down Clint looked determined. He started off by saying that it meant a lot to them that I was opening up to them and trusting them with my private space. He then told me that he only got home cooked meals when he went home… to his wife and kids. That was a surprise and a half for sure but I completely understood that Agents and missions meant danger, danger spread to all your loved ones. I learned that lesson the hard way with Charlie so when he asked me not to tell anyone that he had someone in his life, I made sure to make him understand that I would take that secret to the grave with me.

The surprise of the night was actually when Natasha opened up and told me a bit about her past and how she got to S.H.I.E.L.D. my respect for her increased as I heard her story. In exchange I told them that Charlie was murdered, that it was not an animal attack life his files said. I didn't dare tell them about vampires or the pack, I don't think they would believe me and also that was something big, I don't think I could let anyone from my new life into the secrets of my old one. They reluctantly asked about my mom and that I could be honest about, I told them all about her not having room for me in her life, how scatterbrained she was, and how she called one last time when she saw me on the news, when she heard about the flames she was so hurt that I did not tell her, she encouraged me to sue the company and use the money to get a cure, to have this removed. That is how I found out that Renee was against mutant rights, it was crazy and completely unexpected, I told her exactly where she could go shove it. She had not called since and neither had I. We spent hours talking about nothing, it was just relaxing to talk freely, well as freely as I could with them. They told be about past missions and injuries they had gotten, I told them tons of stories about my clumsy human days that had them clutching on to their stomachs with how much they were laughing. By the time they left it was almost 1 am. I locked up and fell into bed once again exhausted but satisfied with the day's events. New York was quickly becoming home to me.

**5 months later. Wednesday July 27. 2011**

"Bella are you absolutely sure?"

"Yes Clint! Go and spend time with your family."

Finally after a lot of convincing he took off and left me at a car rental place. We had just finished a mission in South Carolina and apparently his family home was nearby. We finished the mission in 3 days, it was a fast easy mission. I had only done 3 so far, they had all been with Clint and Natasha but Fury had her undercover at Stark Industries, Tony Stark was getting really big as Iron Man and they were considering him for the Avengers Initiative, I thought he was funny on TV and not to mention a total Genius! They thought he was a bit too full of himself to work as a team, whatever, I was just excited to go to the Stark Expo! This one was my 4th mission and 1st one with just Clint, Fury told us he wanted us to report at his desk Monday morning and it was only Wednesday so I told Clint to go enjoy as much time as he could with his family, he had invited me but I knew having a guest over would keep him from truly relaxing so I declined. I also convinced him to take the company car, he refused and said he would rent one but I insisted he keep it, that car was way too fancy, even to turn on the damn AC it was voice activated. Plus I know it is packed with sensors and trackers so I was just not comfortable with the idea that maybe someone at headquarters was listening to every breath I took.

I was very happy with my life lately, I had gotten so close to Clint and Natasha, we were not just a team, we really had become friends, I still talked to Tom, Brian, and Aaron once in a while although they almost never came over. Mrs. Grim made sure to meet me for breakfast at least 2 times a week. I was still lonely in such a big place but it had become the norm for Clint And Natasha to come over every Friday even though we were no longer required to 'bond'. Jane finally had time to come over and she brought Darcy with her, they were both so impressed with the Labs and so we spent the whole week on the 4th floor. Darcy had taken on a few classes to get more credits and graduate faster, I felt so bad that she still didn't feel comfortable at college but I was happy because she said she missed me and would move in with me after she graduated. I drove for hours after renting a car nearby where I dropped off Clint and didn't stop until I was really starving, pulling into a dinner in the middle of nowhere I made sure to change back to normal clothing in the car. While getting out I picked up on a conversation by the door, there were 2 girls and 1 boy but they looked no older than 16.

"I can't believe you let this happen Bobby!"

"Me?! It was your brilliant idea to come god knows how many states over to see some stupid boy band! You had to drag Rogue with you too!"

"You chose to come with us! If you wouldn't have made that face to those guys then they never would have taken our things! Now we are starving and have no money to buy food and oh would you look at that! No train tickets! We can't even call the school to get them to come for us."

"You are blaming me for that? If I wouldn't have been there you 2 would have gotten raped!"

"We were in the middle of a crowded area, they weren't gonna try anything until you went caveman!"

"Stop! Kitty, this is not his fault those guys did look sketchy. Bobby, you know Kitty and I both came up with the idea so you can't blame her either. I'm sure if we explain our situation in there then they will let us use the phone."

"No they won't we already tried that. That lady in there is too damn bitchy to even listen to us. We will just have to walk to the nearest gas station or the next dinner down the road."

"We walked for like 40 minutes before we got to this place, I swear if I have to keep walking any more in this heat I am gonna pass out from dehydration."

They slumped against the wall in defeat, the girls looked ready to start crying.

"We are going to be the laughing stock of the school. How the hell to 3 mutants get jumped by humans!"

Mutants?!

"You know we couldn't show our abilities out in public like that! Especially in this state they are not very tolerant. Who knows what would have happened."

Okay, these kids need help obviously. I approached them but kept a small distance knowing they were not going to be very trusting, not after getting jumped apparently. Not that they had a single thing for me to take.

"Hey, I couldn't help but listen in on your conversation. Can I buy you guys lunch?"

They looked at me up and down before one of the girls spoke.

"You look familiar. Do I know you?"

"You probably saw me on TV."

I brought my hand up and let the flames take over. They looked back up at me and I saw some fear but also some comfort. If they were all mutants then they probably would feel better around me instead of a typical human.

"You are the Human Torch!"

I laughed but was glad they recognized me. I saw the fear go away in their eyes.

"So food?"

This time they all nodded enthusiastically, it reminded me of the pack after patrolling. We went in and at first the waitress glared at them 3 but I put a stop to that shit real quick! I stepped in front of them and spoke directly to her.

"Excuse me? Can we get a table or do we have to go elsewhere?"

She stopped glaring when she was met with my own and led us to a corner table. Thankfully away from other customers. We didn't speak much to each other as they were too busy stuffing themselves. Instantly I felt for these kids, I had until Monday to get back to New York so I would drive them to wherever they called home, just knowing that they had to let themselves get jumped just because they couldn't show their true selves in public angered me. I would get them home safely and protect them until then.

"So where are you guys from? I can drive you wherever you need."

I saw them consider it but they looked reluctant to tell me.

"I live in New York City."

"We are from New York too!"

"Well I can take you there. I know you guys might not trust me, and that is good. Don't trust strangers ever! I just feel the responsibility to get you home safely. I am sorry you 3 got jumped and couldn't use your abilities to defend yourselves. I can't imagine what that must be like."

Finally it was like the damn broke and the girls started silently crying. The boy put his arms around them both and just held them before he looked up at me.

"We go to a mutant school in Salem Center, New York. Could you drive us there?"

"Yeah, of course. I promise you are safe with me."

We finished eating and I even got them to order dessert, after we got to in the car I turned back to where they said they had come from.

"Which bar alley did you say you got jumped in?"

"What?

"Answer."

They gave me strange looks but inside I was super pissed. I was going to put my new training into good use, and push comes to shove my fire might even come into play. They finally pointed out a saloon in a corner, the side was lined up with motor bikes.

"Wait in the car, I'll be right back."

"Wait! You shouldn't go in there."

"Please wait in the car okay?"

I got off and went straight to the bartender. I could see all the men following me with their eyes. Horny old fuckers.

"Some kids got jumped by your bikers behind this bar. I need the things that were taken from them."

He smirked and leaned close to me, trying to intimidate me.

"I don't know about any kids but how about I start off by giving you a beer? On the house for such a beautiful woman like you."

I smiled sweetly at him before grabbing his shirt and pulling him to my side of the bar. Channeling the bitch Natasha has been teaching me to be.

"You will point me to someone who can help me or you will do so yourself. We can do this the easy way or the hard way, either way, you run the risk of losing a limb. Preferably the one poking my leg."

The idiot laughed but I could see the fear in his eyes. One man twice my size came up behind me and tapped my shoulder.

"Honey, I admit I took some things that did not belong to me. I've been a naughty boy but I'll offer you a trade. You have something I am interested in."

God this man smelled like rotten meat! Before anyone could catch on, I had him on his knees and in a head lock, putting pressure on his pulse point instantly knocking him out. I turned to all the other guys that started to surround me. One by one I kicked their balls or their nose, whatever was most convenient. There were only 6 men standing and they were the weakest of the bunch, they had been standing by the wall, avoiding the fight. 2 of them actually looked kinda scared, they were covering their junk as if that was going to protect them. I laughed as I approached them.

"Where are the things? I can take you guys out and go search for them myself or you guys can come help load them in my car."

I felt a fuckton of adrenaline pumping through my body. Sure I had gone on missions but I had never used my strength for personal use. The men got up and ran to the back room, before I could follow they were already coming back with a backpack on each hand. I went outside followed by them and saw all 3 teens standing by the bar windows wide eyed and mouths hanging open. Opening the trunk they loaded everything up and almost ran back into the bar. I got back in and honked until they got back in the car. Slowly they did but still had shocked look on their eyes. I started driving and an hour in they still had not said anything.

"I told you guys to stay in the car."

They looked back at me and looked sheepish.

"We wanted to make sure you were going to be okay."

"Well thank you but I have your safety in mind so when I ask you to do something, please do it."

They nodded and we drove for a few more hours, they took control of the radio very quick. We stopped to put gas and I told them to get off and get some waters, drinks, and some snacks. When we got back in the car my phone started ringing. It was Fury. I motioned them to be quiet.

"Sir."

"Bella, I got a last minute call so I will not be in on Monday, I have given instruction to Agent Coulson so you and Agent Barton will give all paperwork and vocal reports to him."

"Yes sir, we are pretty much done here. Agent Barton lead the mission well."

"Good."

With that he hung up.

"Agent? Mission? What are you?"

I started laughing and answered.

"Not an Agent yet but I do some missions once in a while. My name is Bella by the way."

"Oh we forgot to introduce ourselves! How rude! My name is Rogue, this is my boyfriend Bobby, and our friend Kitty."

"So, what can you guys do?"

"I can walk through stuff."

"Really? That is so cool! Wow, must come in handy if you are ever playing tag!"

She laughed and started nodding frantically.

"I am the opposite of you I guess. They call me Iceman at school."

He made it start to snow inside the car and it was amazing.

"That is fun, I can heat up my tea and you can cool up your drinks. Sounds like we would make a good team if we opened up a cafe."

He started laughing too but stopped when he saw Rogue's face.

"What about you Rogue?"

She seemed very hesitant to answer but then in a small voice she told me about how she can basically suck a person's energy. She explained that it was the reason why she always wore long sleeved shirts and gloves.

"I can understand that to some extent, I have pretty okay control now but in the beginning I burned through so many shirts. I was afraid of anyone touching me because any spike in my emotions would throw me off and make me lose control."

She smiled softly at me but didn't say anything.

We drove for a while more but around 11 pm I could not handle anymore driving time.

"Guys would you mind if we stop for the night? I know you want to get home but I would put you all in danger of an accident if I keep driving."

They nodded and looked relived to stop, I know the car must be uncomfortable to sleep in. Once in the lobby of the hotel I pulled over at they turned and took out their wallets from their backpacks.

"We have enough money to pay almost half a room but since none of us are 18 you will have to do it."

I waved them off and went straight to the front desk.

"Hi, can I get 3 conjoining rooms?"

I put my new black credit card on the counter and she actually tried looking professional when she saw what type of card it was.

"Yes ma'am."

She looked through the system for a few minutes before looking up at me apologetically.

"It looks like we don't have 3 rooms together but the hotel is willing to give you a discount on a 2 bedroom suite and a regular room right across from the suite."

"Okay, I want the regular room to have a king size bed. One room in the suite to have a king size bed as well and the other to have 2 beds."

She nodded and quickly took off to get them ready. Once we had our room numbers, we took the car to park it in the space nearest to the rooms.

"Thanks for paying for the rooms Bella. We can pay you back you know, when we get home."

"Its okay. You guys are my responsibility until I get you home."

"Thank you."

"Hey Bella, what are we going to do with all the extra bags?"

"What? What extra bags?"

"Those biker guys were really scared, they each brought out a bag on each hand so we have 12 bags back here. Only 3 of them are ours."

I sighed in exasperation. I knew I saw too many bags. I just never stopped to think that they had taken stuff from other people! Mother fuckers!

"We will deal with it when we get to New York."

**The next morning. Thursday July 28, 2011**

I knocked on the suit door and they opened the door immediately.

"Good morning guys! Ready to go home?"

"Yeah but we are not ready for the lecture we are going to get."

"Well what happened exactly?"

Kitty sighed before she started the explanation.

"Rogue and I wanted to go see a band but the tickets are just to expensive and in New York they sold out right away but I looked all over the internet and found a show in Georgia. I saw a guy on Ebay selling really cheap tickets. We decided that we could leave the school on Friday after school, take the bus and get to the show on Saturday, come back Sunday and no one would realize that we even left. They never check dorm rooms on weekends. But then the guy sold us fake tickets at a Walmart parking lot, we found out they were fake at the door so then we had to buy actual tickets and we didn't have enough for the taxi the next day so we didn't make the bus on time. We hitched a ride as far as South Carolina but the guy kept stopping to pee and then we had to find another ride so that took even more time, our phones died and then we got jumped. That was on Monday and Tuesday, then you found us Wednesday."

"Wow. Okay they must be very very worried for you at school and in your homes."

They looked dejected until they explained their home situations as well.

"Okay, we will go to breakfast and then drive home. We drove through North Carolina yesterday and most of Virginia. We are about 8 hours away so lets get a move on. We are getting drive through breakfast to save time."

We drove and I actually broke my rule for driving, I went as safely as I could over the speed limit and it actually cut a lot of time. We only stopped for gas once and for snacks once as well. My eyes actually hurt and my body was sore. I just wanted to roll into bed and stay there until Monday morning. We didn't really talk too much because they were as tired as I was. We did talk a little on a personal level though, they asked what my mom thought about all this and I told them how against she was on mutant rights and how I had requested the apartment to test my own blood. I could tell they wanted to ask more but they refrained and I didn't offer any more information on the subject.

It was 9:56pm when I pulled into the driveway they directed me to. I had to wake them up when I got near Salem Center. It was a huge mansion and absolutely beautiful, at the entrance I saw the gold sign that said Xavier school for gifted youngsters. It was a curious name but everything looked good so far. As soon as the car stopped, a bunch of people got out of the mansion, all adults. There was a man in a wheelchair that looked extremely relived. A woman with red hair and a guy with sunglasses came out to stand behind him, then a huge blue furry guy came out followed by a woman with white hair and lastly a muscled man with mutton chops and a cigar between his lips. They all took defensive poses and one of the men told the kids to go inside. All 3 stood in front of me and Bobby started talking fast.

"Wait! She is not a threat! She saved us and drove us here all the way from South Carolina! She even paid for us and gave us food when we didn't have enough money."

the girls were nodding along with him and Rogue spoke too.

"Yeah she helped us because she is like us, you don't recognize her from the news a few months back? She is the Human Torch!"

The staff from the school dropped their defensive crouches but still looked ready for a fight. I put my hand on Kitty's shoulder and spoke to all of them.

"Hey guys why don't you let me talk to them. Get your bags from the trunk and go to bed, its really late."

They hesitated but then got their bags and paused to give me hugs. I took out 3 of my unused business cards that S.H.I.E.L.D. had given me 2 months ago.

"Here, if you guys are ever in trouble again or need something just call."

They read the cards and gave me another hug.

"So you really are an Agent? This says Agent Swan."

"Yeah I am."

"Awesome! Hey Bella, what do we do with all these bags? There's like 9 of them left."

"There is nothing we can do so how about you keep them, sort through them and donate all the things that you do not need?"

The muscular man pointed at the trunk and gave us suspicious looks.

"Why do you have so many extra luggage bags?"

Before I could respond Bobby did.

"Oh man Logan you should have been there! These guys jumped us and took all our things but we couldn't defend ourselves because there were so many people and you know some people in the south are more against mutant rights so we were standing outside a dinner the next day and we were starving when Bella found us. She showed us her ability and bought us food so then we told her what happened and she offered us a ride to New York. We didn't have any money or phone so we took it and first thing she does is drive us towards where we told her we got jumped, she asked which bar alley it had been so she parks the car and tells us to wait inside, we waited until she was in and got out to look through the window and man! She calmly asked the bartender for our things but he started talking down to her and another guy completely disrespected her, saying he would give her our things in exchange for her and she totally beat them up! She didn't even use her power once! She kicked their balls and noses and all of them went down like dominoes except for 6 of them. She made them go get out stuff and load it in the car, they were so scared that they brought one bag in each hand so we have 12 luggage bags when only these 3 backpacks are ours."

By the end of the story all the teachers were pissed at hearing that their students got jumped. After they calmed down they thanked me for protecting the students. Rogue and Bobby went inside but Kitty paused and turned towards me nervously. She looked at the teachers awkwardly before turning back to me and clearing her throat, tears gathered in her eyes as she talked.

"Um Bella, I just wanted to say thanks again. Before my grandma died.. she gave me some earrings that she wore on her wedding day, I carry them everywhere and um, if you wouldn't have gotten our stuff back, I would have never seen them again"

She had tears streaming down her cheeks as she hugged me again, I hugged her back and felt my eyes tear up as well. She pulled back and grimaced.

"Guess I better go back inside before I get into any more trouble."

"Kitty you are going to sit and take any punishment you get with gratitude. What you guys did was very stupid and you should just be glad that you have people to come home to that care enough to reprimand you."

She nodded and took a step back. I knew there was still something eating at her.

"What is it kid, you are way passed your bedtime."

She smiled and I'm sure I heard some of the teachers snort.

"I didn't want to be rude earlier, in the car?.. you said something about blood work, about testing yourself to see if the cosmic cloud altered your DNA? Did it?"

I knew what she was asking, she just hadn't worded it right.

"Yes, it did. I wanted to know if the exposure gave me the mutant gene or simply activated it."

"But you said the test didn't work. I don't know what you mean by that."

I had tried not to think about the results, there was too much to think about and not enough answers. I felt my eyes start to get misty again as I responded.

"No Kitty, I didn't have the mutant gene."

"So that means you don't know what you are?"

I simply nodded as she hugged me again. I blinked the tears away and smiled down at her.

"It's okay. I can settle for being unique, nothing wrong with it."

I could tell she didn't believe me but chose not to say anything.

"Well you would fit in here. It wouldn't matter if you are not a mutant, we all find the support we need in our lives here, and most of us don't have parents either."

She smiled and me one last time before getting inside. I turned to the staff and found them all staring at me. The guy in the wheelchair came forward and extended his hand.

"It is a pleasure to meet you. My name is Charles Xavier. I have to thank you for bringing our students back."

"Hi, my name is Bella Swan. Its nice to meet you too and no problem. I was just lucky to hear that they were mutants, I felt the obligation to bring them home and I was on my way to New York anyway."

"Please, come inside so we can have a proper chat."

"Thank you very much but I have been driving for such a long time, honestly I don't know how I will even get home because I am only semiconscious right now."

"Oh, well I understand. If you would feel comfortable, we have guest rooms?"

"Um thanks but, I guess you can say I am still learning to trust new people. I know I wouldn't sleep a full hour if I stay."

"We understand. We would like to invite you back however. You have nothing to worry about with us, we make up a team of trusted mutants."

"Wait. X-Men?"

"Yes, have you heard of us before?"

"Yes, I work for S.H.I.E.L.D. they told me that you recruit good mutants."

"Oh my, we did not know you were an Agent for them."

"Is that a problem?"

"We just try hard to keep our location hidden."

"Oh! Well I won't tell if you don't. I am technically still suppose to be on a mission but I ended early. I promise I won't tell them the location. They don't even have to know I met you."

"We would greatly appreciate that."

"Yeah, no problem."

There was an awkward pause in conversation before he covered it and introduced me to everyone else. They lined up and one by one shook my hand and said their names.

"Wolverine."

"Storm."

"Just call me Hank."

"Jean."

"Scott."

"Hi, nice to meet you all."

They nodded back and Charles came forward again.

"I would be really interested in chatting with you later on. Hopefully you can come for a visit sometime. Maybe over the weekend?"

Wow this was like the 3rd time he brought it up.

"Sure. How about Sunday?"

"That would be perfect."

"Great, see you then. Um would you like to keep the bags? I don't know what to do with them."

"I think your idea of donating it was good, it can be part of their punishment."

I laughed and nodded as I got in the car. Finally driving home. I was excited for Sunday though, I actually met a group of mutants. I just wanted to ask them what they could do but it would be rude. The only downside was that my apartment was almost 40 minutes away. Hopefully I make it home without falling asleep behind the wheel.


	10. Chapter 10

**They call her Human Torch! Chapter 10**

**Sunday July 31, 2011**

I was just pulling up and parking in front of the mansion when Kitty came running out. She jumped up and hugged me, as I hugged her back I saw some of the students and teachers standing at the doorway.

"Hey kiddo, how are you doing? What was your punishment?"

"Well we had to start off by sorting through the luggage bags and I can't wait to show you what we found, I haven't gotten a chance to show the professor. Then we have to help clean up the cafeteria for 2 weeks. They gave us a big speech too but we listened like you told us to."

"That's great. Charles invited me back to chat but I didn't tell him what time. Wanna show me now?"

"Yeah! Come on the cases are in an unused classroom. Why are you wearing that suit by the way? You look hot! But I hadn't seen you in it."

"Oh it's the one I told you about, I wear it at home and in public I usually put normal clothes on top of it but I figured I didn't have to hide it here. Do I look too out of place?"

"Nah, its fine. Like you said, you look unique"

She led me straight to the classroom and I was surprised at just how many desks were covered. There were piles of things but it seemed organized. She took my hand and led me to the first one.

"This is men's clothes, This one is woman's clothes, This is electronics, jewelry, money, shoes, accessories, files and documents, collectible stuff, and I haven't found other stuff so far so that's all the piles. I still have 4 more cases to look through though so who knows what I can find."

"This is all very impressive and organized but have you been doing this on your own? I thought Rogue and Bobby were going to have to do this too?"

"Well they kept making out and distracting me so I just told them to go. I have actually gotten relaxed by going at it and organizing it all on my own. I work better alone anyway so I don't mind."

"I was just like you in high school, still am I guess but working with S.H.I.E.L.D. has taught me a lot on the importance of being able to work as a team. I do have to admit that cleaning up and redecorating some rooms in my apartment alone was therapeutic in a way."

"Wow, how many floors are there?"

"Well technically there are 5 but I only use 3 of them."

"You live in a 5 floor apartment all by yourself?"

"Yeah."

"That sounds lonely."

"It is sometimes but you know what? It makes me really appreciate the people in my life."

She smiled softly at me but when there was a sudden throat clearing behind me I spun around and let my body encase itself in flames. I crouched in front of Kitty but as soon as I saw that it was the muscular guy called Wolverine I instantly took a deep breath and worked on turning it off.

"Sorry. You startled me"

God, can I be any more stupid?! They are going to think I have absolutely no control.

"No harm done. That was impressive to see in person. The professor wanted to know if you were here yet."

"Uh yeah."

"Want me to take you to him?"

"Yeah, um Kitty I'll be right back so I can help you choose where to donate these things. Maybe we can take the men's clothes to the wounded warrior offices and some of those documents and collectible stuff would be appreciated at the veterans museum."

"That sounds awesome!"

I smiled at her one last time before turning to Wolverine and following him out.

"You are good with her."

"She is very bright, she reminds me a lot of myself when I was her age. So are you one of the teachers here Wolverine?"

He let out a short laugh before nodding.

"Sort of. And uh, call me Logan."

"Oh, okay."

"So you help a lot in veteran places? I heard you telling Kitty about donating there."

"No actually I never have never been to an actual office, just growing up with my dad and grandma, they always gave money and around Christmas they would send cards to veterans without families."

He nodded but didn't say much as he lead me to a big but comfortable looking office. Inside were all the staff from the other day. Was this a chat or some type of intervention?

"Hello Bella, it is good to see you again. Please have a seat."

"I'm good thanks."

They were standing around everywhere, if they were all mutants and I didn't know what they could do then I sure as hell wasn't going to sit with my back to them. I might have looked rude to them with my tense form but surely they could try to understand.

"Like I said before Bella, we are no threat to you but I understand your reluctance. I am going to be honest in my enthusiasm to meet today. My ability is telepathy."

Mother fucker! No way am I getting involved with another mind fucker! I could feel my eyes narrow as I came to the realization that this was why he was interested in me, he probably couldn't read me. That was it, the reason Edward was so attracted to me was because of my scent and my silence.

"Let me guess, you want to chat with me to see if you can figure me out? To see why I have a silent mind? Excuse me but I am not interested."

Thank god I wasn't sitting. I stormed right out and straight to the door. Kitty met me by the door and had a hurt look on her face.

"Are you leaving?"

"Yes, I'm sorry for not saying goodbye. I just can't be here. I have trust issues and the last time I talked with a mind reader, it didn't end well."

"Oh Bella, he would never use your thoughts against you, he is not that type of person."

"He can't hear my thoughts, that's why he was so interested in me, I won't let myself be used again and confuse it for affection."

She looked conflicted but I saw her eyes gloss up a little bit.

"I really like spending time with you though. If you leave now then you probably won't come back."

"Honey I really like spending time with you too but I just don't trust that they won't try to use me in some way. Its happened as a human and now with my fire.. I just can't."

"Did he say something like that?"

"I honestly just left as soon as he said he could read minds."

"Maybe you can just listen, don't agree to anything but just listen. Then you will be able to come back. Everyone around here has a mentor, Rogue has Logan, Jubilee has Jean. I just haven't found anyone that could really guide me like they do, I was thinking maybe you could be my mentor? I know you are not part of the staff but if the professor allows it then we can spend more time together and you can teach me stuff, like how to defend myself without my gift. I can't just run from all my fights you know?"

"I'd really like that but you have to understand that I am away from home a lot, always on missions and-"

"I understand that! Really! We are all a part of X-Men. I know one day I will go on missions too."

"She is right you know. At least listen to the man."

I turned once again to find Logan with a cigar in his mouth looking at me. All the staff was behind him including Charles. I was beginning to wonder if they ever did anything alone. Honestly I just wanted to leave and take the cowards way out but when I looked back to Kitty and saw the look in her eyes, I just couldn't ignore what she had said. Could I be a good mentor? No not at all, hell I had 2 of them at the moment. But could I help her in some way? Could I teach her something or just be there for her when she needed me? Yes, that I could do. She had taken to me and I had taken to her. I felt the need to protect her and for whatever reason it may be, that was what I was going to to. End of story.

I nodded at her and she jumped up to hug me before following me back to the office. I could tell that she was about to be asked to leave so I spoke directly to her.

"You can stay. I don't mind. I would actually prefer it."

That shut them up. Charles started speaking again but this time he seemed more hesitant.

"I presume that you are aware of your mind blocking ability."

"It is not an ability. It is not something I control. Mind tricks just don't work on me."

"Do you not? The reason I ask is because my ability allows me to look for minds all around the world. Naturally when some of our students came up missing we looked around the campus and around town for them, once we could simply not find them or contact them, I decided to use Cerebro-"

"What is that?"

"It is a machine of sorts that allows me to focus on brain waives and 'filter' out people. It allows me to look or concentrate on one person only or just look through people and see only mutants. I looked for our students for hours but got increasingly worried when I could not find them anywhere in the world. It was as if they did not exist. When that happens, the only explanation could be death. We feared for the worst and so I was so relieved when you brought them back. As soon as you left I was able to look in their heads as usual. Now however, I cannot hear yourself of course, or Ms. Pryde."

"That's awesome!"

"Kitty!"

"Sorry Bella."

I was surprised though. I mean I am not doing anything so what gives?

"Well as glad as I am to be able to give her mind privacy, I am not doing anything. I feel close to her and protective but I am not doing anything on purpose."

Kitty smiled up at me when I said I felt protective of her. This little girl was adorable. I really needed to find out how old she is.

"I see. Well that is certainly a curiosity. I know how intrusive this may sound. Can I ask 2 things of you?"

"I will never give you my DNA. I do not let people experiment on me."

"No dear, of course not, we as mutants understand that there are lines which must never be crossed. I only wish for you to think something directly at me, I wonder if your mind is blocked completely or if your subconscious is somehow protecting itself."

I took a deep breath to focus. This was a manageable request, I could at least try. Though I doubt it will work.

'_You are one curious fucker. You are one curious fucker. You are one-'_

"Yes, I am a very curious man. Although I have not been called the other in a very many years."

He chuckled and smiled as he said it and I'm pretty sure I was actually blushing for the first time in months. Kitty bumped my shoulder and looked at me transfixed.

"Your cheeks are smoking.."

"Shit! Oh um I mean shoot!"

"Its okay, at least you didn't actually burn your cheeks, just some smoke."

I smiled at her just thinking about how strange that would look.

"Can I ask for one more gesture? I would just like to see if maybe you could shield someone else."

"I would be willing to try but I honestly am not protecting Kitty on purpose."

"I understand, I simply think it would be beneficial for you to know and interesting for us to see."

I nodded and turned to the staff people. I was already protecting Kitty so it would have to be one of them. Logan was the closest one so he just shrugged and came 2 feet away from me. I was about to put my hand on his arm when my cell phone started ringing. It was Fury. I turned away from the audience I a semblance of privacy although I could feel their stares on my back.

"Sir?"

"I need you to drop whatever you are doing. Have Agent Barton complete the mission and get to Romanoff as soon as possible."

"Is something wrong?"

"Not yet, but something is brewing."

"I can be there in 2 hours."

"Make it 1."

"Yes sir."

After hanging up I quickly turned to Kitty and the rest of them.

"Sorry, this will have to wait for another time. I have to go now."

"Is everything okay."

"For now."

They nodded but didn't ask anymore. I was thankful because I didn't know if I could even tell them anymore. Kitty got up and hugged me goodbye.

"Can I call you in a couple of days to see if you are back?"

"Of course. How about you give me your number so I can call you when I get back too?"

"Oh I don't have a cell phone but I can give you my Email!"

"Sounds good kiddo."

She quickly wrote it down and I hightailed it out of there. I still had to drive home and pick up my mission ready back pack. I had learned really quick that I wouldn't always have time to pack.

2 hours later I was on a jet to Malibu with Fury and Natasha. She had been posing as Tony Stark's assistant for a couple of days, they caught me up on all the events that had happened lately, including his disastrous race driving debacle, appointing his assistant as CEO, and his drunk stunt at his birthday party.

"How the hell did he let his friend take his suit?"

"Well that is the question isn't it? He has security procedures to prevent this and yet he let it happen."

They went on to tell me about his suit and the palladium.

"Wouldn't that slowly poison his blood?"

Fury actually gave me a big smile and patted me on the back.

"Exactly, this is why we brought you on. He needs to find an element that will be a good replacement. We believe his father left behind clues that only he can figure out to discover a new element. He had been doing reckless things as of late so Mr. Stark is in need of a baby sitter. Since you believe so strongly that he will be a good asset to the team and you share his love of science. You will be in charge of him and helping him every step of the way. I want you at his side 24/7 do you understand?"

"Yes sir, though I do not know how I could possibly help. I mean I do love science but I don't actually know much."

"Don't worry about that and don't hover over him because he won't take well to it, just be there. Now here is the file with his symptoms. Work with our database to find something that will take the edge off of those until the new element is found."

They left me alone while I got to work, I didn't know how I was going to come up with something, I mean if he hadn't then how could I? Eventually I did see a pattern and started testing out some things on the simulation program that S.H.I.E.L.D.'s best had created on the plane. Gotta love S.H.I.E.L.D.'s way of transportation.

Once we landed we quickly drove to his location. Natasha and I secured the area while Fury approached him and led him to the now empty doughnut shop.

"Stay back by the door until Fury or I tell you to come forward."

I nodded and we quietly entered the shop, listening to their conversation. I was ready with the syringe in my hand. I was confident this would work, Natasha had told me about the black lines on his neck and I had tested this until I was positive this would work.

Nat went right up to the table and I could see the shock on Stark's face, of course he though this woman was his assistant and she comes in looking all bad ass? She spoke directly to Fury before turning to him.

"We've secured the perimeter but I don't think we should hold it for too much longer."

"Well, you're fired."

Natasha raised an eyebrow but otherwise stayed emotionless.

"That's not up to you."

She sat next to Fury and motioned me to stay by the door.

"Tony, I want you to meet Agent Romanoff."

"Hi."

"I'm a S.H.I.E.L.D. shadow. Once we knew you were ill, I was tasked to you by Director Fury."

"I suggest you apologize."

Fury ignored Stark's comments and kept talking.

"You've been very busy. You made your girl your CEO, you're giving away all your stuff. You let your friend fly away with your suit. Now, if I didn't know any better…"

"You don't know better. I didn't give it to him. He took it."

Fury made a face between incredulous and humored.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. He took it? You're Iron Man and he just took it? The little brother walked in there, kicked your ass and took your suit? Is that possible?"

"Well, according to Mr. Stark's database security guidelines, there are redundancies to prevent unauthorized usage."

I actually felt bad for Stark. He looked tired as he just sighed out his response.

"What do you want from me?"

"What do we want from you? What do _you_ want from me?"

Fury motioned me to come closer.

"You have a problem, a problem I have to deal with. Contrary to your belief, you are not the center of my universe. I have bigger problems than you to deal with. Bella, hit him."

Well, here goes nothing. I came up behind him and plunged the needle in his neck. He pulled back in pain and let out a small yelp.

"Oh, God, are you gonna steal my kidney and sell it? Could you please not do anything awful for five seconds? What did she just do to me?"

"What did we just do for you? That's lithium dioxide. It's gonna take the edge off. We're trying to get you back to work."

"Give me a couple of boxes of that. I'll be right as rain."

Um no. Fury nodded at me to speak so I sat next to him as I inspected his neck.

"It's not a cure, it just abates the symptoms."

Fury nodded as he looked at Stark's neck as well.

"It doesn't look like it's going to be an easy fix."

"Trust me, I know. I'm good at this stuff. I've been looking for a suitable replacement for palladium. I've tried every combination, every permutation of every known element."

"Well I'm here to tell you, you haven't tried them all."

We all got in the car and drove to his mansion. I have to admit it was still beautiful even though it needed major repairs after the damage of his party. While Natasha and I unloaded some boxes labeled Howard Stark, Fury was on the balcony chatting with Stark.

"That thing on your chest is based on unfinished technology."

"No, it was finished. It has never been particularly effective until I miniaturized it and put it in my-"

"No. Howard said the arc reactor was the stepping stone to something greater. He was about to kick off an energy race that was gonna dwarf the arms race. He was on to something big, something so big that it was gonna make the nuclear reactor look like a AAA battery."

"Just him, or Anton Vanko in on this too?"

"Anton Vanko is the other side of that coin. Anton saw it as a way to get rich. When your father found out, he had him deported. When the Russians found out he couldn't deliver they shipped his ass off to Siberia and he spent the next 20 years in a vodka fulled rage. Not quite the environment you want to raise a kid in, the son you had the misfortune of crossing paths with in Monaco."

"You told me I hadn't tried everything. What do you mean by that? What haven't I tried?"

"He said that you were the only person with the means and knowledge to finish what he started."

"He said that?"

"Are you that guy? Are you? 'Cause if you are, then you can solve the riddle of your heart."

"I don't know where you get your information, but he wasn't my biggest fan. He was cold, calculating, never told me he loved me, never even told me he liked me, so it's a little tough for me to digest when you're telling me he said the whole future was riding on me and he's passing it down. I don't get that. You're talking about the guy who's happiest day was when he shipped me off to boarding school."

"That's not true."

"Well clearly you knew my dad better than I did."

"As a matter of fact, I did. He was one of the founding members of S.H.I.E.L.D."

"What?"

"I got a two o'clock."

"Wait, wait, wait. What's this?"

"Okay, you're good, right?"

"No, I'm not good."

"You got this? Right? Right?"

"Got what? I don't even know what I'm supposed to get."

"Natasha will remain a floater at Stark with her cover intact. This is Agent Swan, she will be your partner, you need anything, you go to her. She goes where you go, you go where she goes. Got it?"

"No."

"Great! And remember Tony, I got my eye on you."

With that he left and took Natasha with him. There was some Agents around but they were instructed to stay outside the house. He turned to me and this was so awkward.

"First thing, I need a little body work. I'll put in a little time time in the lab. If we could send one of your goon squad down to the coffee bean, cross creek, for a Starbucks run, or something like that, that'd be nice."

"I'm not here for that. I've been authorized by Director Fury to use any means necessary to find this new element and keep you on track. If you start playing any games, I will taser you and finish the work myself while you drool on the carpet. Okay?"

"I think I got it, yeah."

I followed him to his lab/ garage and was impressed by the size but I was actually proud to say that I had better stuff at home in the robotics lab. Not that I had used it yet or had any reason to ever use it but still I had taken inventory of everything at home.

"What?"

"I didn't say anything."

"No, it's what you didn't say. If they put you with me and you figured out the Lithium Dioxide then you must know science."

"So?"

"So, not to toot my own horn but yeah my lab is a scientists dream."

"I already have my dream lab at home Mr. Stark."

"Don't call me Mr.'

"I'll call you Tony if you call me Bella."

"Deal."

"Deal."

"So dream lab huh? What would you need a lab for? Shouldn't you be going to school instead of being an Agent? How old are you?"

"I will be 20 in 2 months. I needed a lab to do blood work. I was set to go to college but after the incident, I didn't feel it was the right path anymore."

"What incident?"

"Do you not watch the news?"

"Um I get kinda busy."

"You bought the building, the Von Doom Inc building."

"Oh yeah I did. Wait are you the survivor of the cosmic thing? Why do they call you Human Torch? I missed the news that day I guess and now too much time has passed, it's awkward to ask anyone else."

I laughed but let my whole body be covered in flames, the look on his face was hilarious and slowly I started peeling it back until it was only on the tips of my fingers.

"That's.. cool"

"Not at the beginning."

"Yeah I guess something like that makes you rethink everything. So can you fly?"

"Fly? What? No of course not."

"It would make sense, if you can manipulate the heat then you can make it so the flames only comes out of your feet, propelling you up. You never thought of that did you?"

"I- maybe once, but- Look let's just get to work on reading these files."

"Ugh fine. But I'm willing to bet you can fly."

"I'm willing to bet you can't keep quiet for long."


	11. Chapter 11

**They call her Human Torch! Chapter 11**

We worked in silence for the most part and I was happy to see that even though he presents himself as irresponsible and aloof to the public, here in his home he got to work and took it seriously. We had scoured most of the files and nothing helped really, I mean I learned so so much from reading all these journals but still it was nothing that helped. After some hours he started playing an old clip on the projector, it was in the box and it looked like it was the unedited version of Howard Stark's speech for the Expo, there was a bit where a young Tony came into the shot and started messing around with a building on the model. I saw the look in Tony's eyes, both as a child on the video and now as an adult, as his father scolded him and asked for his mother to take him away. Tony tossed aside a notebook and was reaching for another when we both looked up to the screen as his father said his name again.

"_Tony. You're too young to understand this right now, so I thought I would put it on film for you. I built this for you. And someday you'll realize that it represents a whole lot more that just people's inventions. It represents my life's work. This is the key to the future. I'm limited by the technology of my time, but one day you'll figure this out. And when you do, you will change the world. What is and always will be my greatest creation is you."_

My heart broke for him, after hearing earlier today what he thought his father felt for him and now watching this video. He looked like he was about to cry, before he could see me staring at him I simply looked down to another book, avoiding eye contact.

"Do you know where that model is?"

He cleared his throat and turned to me.

"What model?"

"The one on the screen. It might help to see it up close."

"Why? It is just a model of what the Expo grounds looked like back then."

"He keeps repeating 'key to the future' like it's suppose to mean something. And if you look at the model in the video the p-"

"Yes it says 'Key to the future' on it! Well then I guess we are going to my office."

On the way there he stopped on a curb to buy strawberries. I have no idea why but he did. The man actually took off his gold watch to pay for a 6 dollar box, I quickly took out my wallet and payed the vendor before Tony took out some diamonds to go along with the watch. I swear this man is crazy! I told him I would wait in the lobby since explaining me would be too tricky. He came back really quick with the model in 4 pieces but he looked kinda off.

"Everything okay?"

"Yep, got the model."

Alright then. We got back to his house in record time and got to work on putting the 4 pieces together again, he used his awesome voice activated system who he called 'J.A.R.V.I.S.'

"Jarvis, could you kindly Vac-U-Form a digital wire frame? I need a manipulable projection."

"1974 Stark Expo model scan complete, sir."

That is amazing! Tony used his hands as sensors and lifted the projection away from the actual model.

"How many buildings are there?"

"Am I to include the Belgium waffle stands?"

"That was rhetorical. Just show me."

He spun the map and put it upright.

"What does that look like to you?"

I took a closer look at the globe specifically.

"Not unlike an atom. In which case the nucleus would be there."

"Jarvis, highlight the uni sphere. Lose the footpaths. Get rid of them."

"What is it you are trying to achieve, sir?"

"I'm discovering… correction, I'm rediscovering a new element, I believe. Lose the landscaping, the shrubbery, trees."

He started using his hands to flick things off.

"Parking lots, exits, entrances. Structure the protons and the neutrons using the pavilions as a framework."

Holy fuck! The model was now bare and as soon as he expanded the image it blew up and looked just like a nucleus. We both looked around ourselves in amazement. This was a new freaking element! He scoffed in awe.

"Dad, dead for almost 20 years, and still taking me to school."

"Congratulations. That was… wow."

"Thanks. It would have taken a bit longer without your help."

"I doubt that. This should serve as a viable replacement for the palladium. Now we just have to figure out how to synthesize it."

He had a new skip in his step as he got to work in making blueprints to remodel the lab. Once he was done he showed them to me so I could start making a list of what we would need to buy. I recognized the design instantly though.

"Pack your bags and your suit. We are going to New York."

"What? Why? We need to finish this."

"Well New York is where the Expo is, and it is also where my lab is at. I already have this design in one of the rooms. We would save like a whole day of work if we fly there instead of building this."

"Wow, well alright then. Help me pack all this up while I go pack clothes and my suit. I will need to call and reserve a jet immediately. Pepper took mine there already so I will have to rent one."

"Is a private jet really necessary?"

"Yes"

"Okay."

Definitely necessary. Usually a plane ride from La to New York took at least 5 hours but on the private jet, we landed in only 4. It was amazing. In the cab to my apartment, Tony leaned over and whispered.

"Those 4 hours could be like 2 or 3 if you could fly you know."

I rolled my eyes at him.

"We are not having this conversation until this is all over."

"Alright. I can wait."

Once we were dropped off, I quickly went inside and was thankful that there was no one else in the lobby. As soon as I scanned my card the doors opened, since I left it down here and it is not used by anyone else that means I never have to wait for it to come down. We stepped inside and Tony was as surprised as I first was at the speed. I skipped the tour of the first few floors and had the elevator take me straight to the lab. The doors opened up and I stepped out, he followed at a much slower pace. It was amusing actually as he looked around. He put down his suit cases and went from lab to lab, looking at all the equipment until I grabbed his arm and took him to the robotics lab which was the one that most resembled his.

"This is not okay."

"What? What do you mean? I saw your design, you were gonna make something just like this room!"

"What is not okay, is that you have a better lab than me. How? What the hell?"

"Oh, well Reed was completely devoted to his work. I honestly do not know how he paid for this. It must have taken years just to build this floor and the observatory."

"Obser- you have an observatory in your apartment? Correction, penthouse? You are 19 years old! Where are your parents in all this? Don't you dare tell me you live alone."

I don't know if he saw something in my face or just the whole thing just kind of gave it away but his face softened and he patted my back, as if trying to comfort me without showing emotion.

"My dad was killed and my mom is against mutant rights. When she found out this happened to me and that I didn't care to find a cure..."

I just shrugged because I knew he got the picture. He stared at me for a long while before getting to work. I was actually able to help him in this part because we had a lot of things to put together. About 2 hours later we were ready to go. He tuned everything and came to stand by me, we both put our goggles on and watched everything start to light up. The little hard drive looking box that he said was Jarvis started talking through its little speaker.

"Initializing prismatic accelerator."

Tony motioned me to stand back as to give him space to turn the wheel.

"Approaching maximum power"

He was putting all his strength into it but if he didn't go faster then he was going to make a hole in my damn floor. I stepped in and fueled fire through the veins on my arms, giving me strength and turning the wheel as easily as turning a steering wheel in a car. Once the beam focused on the little triangle and shut off, he turned to look at me, then my arms, them back up at my face.

"What? I come with perks."

"Yeah, starting to see that."

He went towards the now glowing triangle and gently picked it up with a pair of tweezers. He placed it into the arc reactor and the whole thing instantly lit up.

"Congratulations sir. You have created a new element. The reactor has accepted the modified core. I will begin running diagnostics."

"Yes, congratulations are definitely in order. Besides, triangle is totally the new circle so you are modernizing Iron Man's look too."

"Huh, I guess I am. Shot in the dark but do you happen to have something I can celebrate with?"

I laughed and had him follow me down to the 2nd floor kitchen, I sat him down and pulled out a bottle that I had found in Reed's old office.

"Wow, now this is what I'm talking about! Impressive. This is a vintage. How did you get your hands on this?"

"Came with the apartment. All of this did. The only things I have bought for it has been the food."

"So how did this happen?"

"I asked for it in the trial. No one told me it was a penthouse. I thought it was going to be a 2 or 3 bedroom apartment with one of the rooms turned into a lab. I don't know how it was approved for me to get it but I think they just felt bad, I told them I wanted a lab to study myself, to know what I was, what the exposure did to me. Everyone was calling me a mutant but I wanted to know if I got the gene, if I already had it but it wasn't activated.. I just had a lot of questions as to how the exposure altered my DNA. I also asked for a formula, for unstable molecules. Its how these clothes don't burn to ash when I light up."

"Well you deserve a shot of this then. I won't tell."

He pulled out a tumbler for himself and a small shot glass for me. I was not so sure on this idea but in the end I decided to be a little irresponsible, I drowned back the shot and I felt a slight burn in my throat. Big mistake because as soon as I felt the burn, my actual fire started to burn and the next thing I knew, I was coughing out fire like crazy. Every time I breathed out, a little burst of flame came out. I was so embarrassed that my cheeks were smoking again. Tony was bent over clutching his stomach from laughing so hard. He composed himself enough to look up at me but lost it again when he saw my cheeks smoking. I have no Idea what in the world possessed me to do it but I concentrated on his nose and had a small flicker of fire spout up and burn off his nose hairs. He snorted out startled and the sound set me off, we were both laughing now but looking at each other incredulously.

"Are you hungry?"

"Yes actually. Any good restaurants in this area?"

"I'm not sure. I'll just make something. Korean style spare ribs sound good? I left some marinating in the fridge yesterday."

"Kalbi? Um hell yeah. Let me guess, chef on your spare time?"

"Ha! I wish. No, I just like to cook. Growing up I was always the one cooking. Renee would go through phases and once in a while she would go through a food phase where she would try mixing intricate flavors, but those days we always got a stomach bug, even her cat. So it fell to me to actually do the cooking. Good thing Grandma Swan taught me all of her mothers recipes. She never really liked Renee but it turned to hate when she left Charlie and took me with her."

"Hmm my mom was the same. She tried to take care of me but she had come from money so she always had nanny's to take care of her. I think her parents didn't show her any emotions so it felt natural to do that with me, she had a nanny on hand 24/7 so when she didn't want to keep trying she would just hand me off."

"That must have been confusing. Did you ever get close to a nanny?"

"No, I had a different one every 2 or 3 weeks so I never had the chance."

I nodded but didn't say anything, we both fell into a comfortable silence and I think we were both wondering why we would open up to each other like that. I quickly made a white rice while the meat marinated then took out the skillet and started cooking them.

"How do you like it cooked?"

"Medium."

"Good. Me too."

He told me a bit about Pepper Potts, he spoke about her like a man with a crush, I could tell he really admired her and she sounded like a strong woman who was perfect to keep him in check.

"So how did you join S.H.I.E.L.D.?"

"They knocked on my door and told me about the initiative. I had no direction at that point. Everything I had been working towards for months suddenly didn't matter. The opportunity to better myself and learn new skills, to use my new abilities to help others. The chance was right in front of me and I just had to take it. We need you Tony. The rest of the team is not sure if you can learn to fight as a team, to consider yourself equal with the rest of us. I think that if you really wanted to, you could adapt. You are smart and would be able to help us if a time came where human armies couldn't take down the enemy."

"I don't know if they are wrong."

"Then prove them wrong. We are not asking you to become an Agent or turn your life inside out. It's just a promise to help if one day we needed it."

"I guess I owe that much at least for saving my life."

"No, if you agree because of that, it will be for the wrong reasons. Don't answer, just think about it when you have free time."

"I'll think about it if you try to fly."

I laughed but didn't answer, instead I got a plate and served him up a plate of food.

"Mmm

Wow, hmm this is good.

This is great."

"You know, for a billionaire you sure have bad table manners."

"Not usually, this is good. If you quit being an Agent, I'll hire you."

"I will keep it in mind."

When we finished I took him on a tour of all the floors and good thing I started with the 5th floor and worked my way down because when we got to the 1st floor, he went crazy in the arcade. Ironically it was over the same game that Clint came in to play.

"I would offer to buy this place from you but I have a feeling you wouldn't sell."

"You are correct. Why don't you build something like this for yourself in the old Von Doom building? It's been months since you bought it."

"It is really big. I want to expand the company over here but it would only take up 20 floors, if that. Plus now that I am not CEO, who knows what Pepper will do with it. Oh well, guess I'll just have to move in here with you, we can be science buddies while I figure out what to do with my life now that I won't be dying in a few days."

"That is really scary, I don't know how you didn't have some type of meltdown. Well, I guess your birthday party counts as a meltdown. That was pretty bad."

"Thanks."

"Welcome."

We ended up back in the lab, he was showing me the suit and was touching up some things when his cell phone started ringing. Jarvis put the call through on his little speaker, and announced that it was from a blocked number.

"Hey Tony, how you doing? I double cycle."

"You what?"

"You told me double cycle's more power. Good advice."

"You sounds pretty sprightly for a dead guy."

"You too."

Tony muted his speaker and instructed Jarvis to trace the call. I quickly handed him his laptop and he started running a bunch of programs, I only understood some of it from my computer science courses in Arizona.

"Now, the true history of Stark name will be written."

"Jarvis, where is he?"

"What your father did to my family over 40 years, I will do to you in 40 minutes."

"Sounds good. Let's get together and hash it out."

"_Accessing the Oracle grid. Eastern Seaboard. Tri-State area. Manhattan and outlying boroughs."_

"I hope you're ready."

"_Trace call incomplete."_

He ended the call. We looked at each other and quickly got into action. I sent a text to Natasha and Fury, telling them everything from the new element working to Ivan being alive and his threat. Meanwhile Tony went and picked up the new arc reactor.

"Tony! The tests are not done!"

at the same time Jarvis also said

"Sir!"

"You wanna run some tests? Run them. Bella, help me assemble the suit."

"Sir, we are unclear as to the effects."

"I don't want to hear it Jarvis."

He snapped it in his chest and it started gaining power quickly.

"That tastes like coconut, And metal. Oh WOW, **YEAH!**"

I actually laughed at the incredulity I was feeling. This man really is crazy but it definitely looks like it works very well.

"Something is going to happen at the Expo. Learn to fly right now or so help me, I will carry you."

We took the stairs to the 5th floor and I opened the roof access. He quickly hovered but as I took off my shoes I wasn't sure what to do.

"Turn on your flames all over. Good, now focus all that power on only your feet. Make it strong."

I was doing it. I felt myself start to hover as well but once I reached his level my knees buckled and I fell back.

"You need to keep your core straight and strong. Keep all your muscles stiff at first until you have balance in the air. Look at me, you see how I position my hands when I land and take off. Do that. Good, now hold that position and go higher."

I felt so awkward in such a stiff position, I felt myself falling forward and instinctively I put my hands in front of me as if I were going to land on a floor, my hands released a strong flame that propelled me back to my original position.

"See!? Okay lets go to the Expo." I timed the roof so that it would close in 30 seconds and took off after him. I was much faster than him when I was going well but he kept up with me easily since I constantly was using the fire in my hands to keep myself in position. I felt stupid for actually doing a superhero pose but that was the only way to keep a good position. We did not go too high and I thank the lord in heaven that I am not afraid of heights, although this view was nice it was still intimidating.

"Try to relax!" He was yelling but I still had some trouble hearing him.

"What?!"

"Relax!"

I did as he said and tried to relax my pose, I guess I relaxed too much because suddenly I was falling and out of fear and adrenaline I lit up once again and shot up into the air! I looked down and saw the buildings looked so tiny, I wonder how high I am? Oh I see the Expo lights! As I got lower, I felt more in control but still not as good as Tony. I think it would be easier if my whole body was in flames but I wouldn't want to get too close to Tony when I am that hot. Better to learn like this. As I got lower I finally found Tony.

"To much on the relaxing but great comeback!"

"Yeah! Hey, I am gonna wait for you outside the arena okay? If I land in the stage with you it will be weird. I would be out of place!"

"Okay! We need to make Bluetooth earplugs to communicate up here!"

"My fire will melt it into my ear!"

"Have control of your ears then!"

"Screw you!"

"I'll think about it but I don't think it would be a good idea!"

"Oh god Tony shut up!"

I think I heard him laugh but I can't be sure. God this wind sucks! I couldn't even hear myself breathing. As we hovered over the open arena I saw Justin Hammer doing some funky dance and then I saw some guy in an Iron Man suit.

"That's my cue! See if you can find Ivan somewhere in the crowd."

I nodded and we parted ways for now. I pray tonight ends well.


	12. Chapter 12

**They call her Human Torch! Chapter 12**

Justin Hammer was on stage, he had the microphone and kept screaming out 'Army' 'Navy' 'Marines' 'Air force' each time a new set of drones came out. I had a bad feeling about this. Hammer industries technology sucks, we are not actually going to replace our troops with these shitty looking things right? Suddenly Tony's friend in the other Iron Man suit pointed the big gun on the suit straight at him. Things came to a stand still and everyone became quiet. All the droids on stage had guns attached to them and they pointed their guns at him too. The audience started freaking out and falling to their knees behind the chairs. Tony started hovering and came flying up towards me, the droids followed his and started shooting up, all the glass around the roof exploded and as Tony passed me he grabbed my arm.

"Come on!"

He moved me out of place right before the shots got to where I had been standing. Half of the drones started flying and coming up right behind us. We were moving really fast and trying to dodge the bullets.

"Bella! Listen to me, they have a target lock on me, not you. You go back to the arena and try to melt or destroy, whatever, those droids that were left behind. He might try to activate them so I'll take care of this group and you go to those!"

"Tony I'm not going to leave you alone!"

"Those droids back there can hurt people in the arena! I can take care of myself, go help them!"

"I'll be back to find you when I am done!"  
"Go!"

I flew up higher to miss the ones flying behind us and made my way back to the arena. Tony was right, they were walking off stage and terrorizing the people. There were 2 groups that were still on stage so I started with the ones in the crowd, I saw Natasha and she nodded at me before disappearing back stage. I had sent her a text an hour ago, telling her about Tony's suspicions that Hammer was working with Ivan. I had no idea how to start so I just flew directly into one and put my hands around the head part, I think that was where the receiver was at so if I could pop the head off then at least the rest of the body would stop working. Turning on the flames in my whole body I focused on my hands being as hot as I could make them, the metal started melting right away and when I got to the chip on the inside I melted that too, the body of the droid fell to the floor and I moved on to the next one. I had taken out all 8 in less than 10 minutes. People were still running around trying to get out but most of the fucking idiots were recording me and all the droids. I swear they deserved to at least get a broken arm for being so careless about their safely. Tony's friend and 8 of the droids had gone after Tony so now there were only 16 and they all so happened to turn on at the same time. I don't know where Ivan was at or how he was programming them but if I find him, I am going to give him the beating of his life! I think he did a target lock on me for all 16 because they all started shooting their guns at me and coming at me. I had to stay focused so I put a fire wall up to melt the bullets that they were shooting at me, from there I started shooting fire balls at their heads, it worked for like 5 of them but I really needed to work on aiming. I decided to do what I had done earlier with Tony's nose hairs. I focused on 3 of their heads and they started melting as fire surrounded their bodies. It worked! This is great! It served as fire practice but I wasn't killing anyone.

I started focusing on their heads and since I was doing so many at a time, my focus was on them completely. I should have counted because I heard shooting from behind me and a split second later I was propelled forward and felt a burning heat on my shoulder and mid arm. I let go of all inhibitions then. No more over thinking things. I tried putting the pain aside and got to work. The ones that had their bodies half burned were malfunctioning, I turned and saw only 4 of them were still in good shape. Those I put a fire bubble around and let them melt into a pile of goo. Turning around I did the same to the rest of them. I looked around to make sure nothing else was amiss, everything looked totally trashed and there were little piles of fire everywhere but I put my hand up and focused on absorbing all the heat. People actually started clapping when I was done piling up all the droids that weren't melted. I didn't acknowledge them, they were stupid for not running and I was in too much pain. I have never been shot before and I was just glad that I had a pretty high pain tolerance. I mean, I had to build one after being tossed around by a vampire and having your body burn from cosmic exposure right? Once the droids were all piled up I shot up into the air and took off in the direction that Tony had gone off to. I literally just followed the destruction. Eventually I saw the windows of the Oracle exhibit dome broken and they were both in there and Tony looked to be tapping his friends face armor.

"Snap out of it buddy, I need ya. They're coming, come on lets go. Get up."

"Ugh man you can have your suit back."

He laughed while he helped him get up.

"Are you both okay?"

They turned and looked at me shocked. Tony looked a little annoyed.

"I told you to go help at the arena."

"I did. I told you I would come find you when I was done."

"Done?! Don't tell you you took all of them out? Only ¼ of them came after us and we managed to lose them but they are on their way now."

"Yeah I got all 24 of them. Heat melts metal remember?"

"Wow, hey you are the Human Torch! I am Lieutenant Colonel James Rhodes, at your service ma'am."

"Nice to meet you. Please call me Bella."

"Alright alright, enough. We got company comi- Bella, is that blood? Are you hurt?"

"I got shot. Twice I think. Look don't focus on that. If I think about the pain I am in then I will lose the adrenaline that I got going and I won't be able to keep fighting so just shut up."

He nodded but then we fell into an awkward silence. James spoke up and I looked the other way to give them some privacy when I heard him apologize.

"Tony, look, I'm sorry, okay?"

"Don't be."

"No, I should have trusted you more."

"I'm the one who put you in this position. Forget it."

"No. It's your fault. I just wanted to say I'm sorry."

"Thank you. That's all I wanted to hear.. Partner. They're coming in hot, any second. What's the play?"

"Well we want to take the higher ground, okay? So lets put the biggest gun up on that ridge."

"Got you. Where do you want to be?"

"Where are you going?"

"What're you talking about?"

"I meant me."

"You have a big gun. You are not the big gun."

"Tony, don't be jealous."

"No, It's subtle, all the bells and whistles."

"Yeah. It's called being a badass."

I rolled my eyes at these idiots. Slowly I made my way to the top of the ridge and they never even noticed.

"Fine. All right. You go up. I'll draw them in."

"Don't stay down here. This is the worst place to be."

"Okay, you got a spot. where's mine?"

"It's the kill box, Tony. Okay, this is where you go to die."

I cleared my throat twice before I finally got their attention. The look on their face when they saw me up here was priceless. I was about to say something but one by one 12 fucking drones came down. Where the hell did they come from? The guys put their masks on and Tony yelled at me.

"Bella! Flame on!"

I turned up the heat all over my body. All of them started shooting at Tony and James so it gave me a chance to come up behind 5 of them and burn their heads off. There were only 7 left and now they were shooting at all 3 of us. Tony and James were very good with their guns, they took out 4 of them quickly and the last 3 surrounded us. I was about to throw myself at one when Tony yelled out for us to duck. James and I trusted him enough to drop to the ground immediately. He did some laser trick that cut all the remaining droids in half.

"Wow. I think you should lead with that next time."

"Yeah. Sorry boss, I can only use it once. It's a one-off."

I saw both of them concentrating on something and I guessed it was the speaker on the suit.

"Agent Romanoff just told us there is one more droid coming our way, said the repulsor signature is higher."

"Let me guess..."

"Yep"

Ivan landed in front of us with the mask down and I had to admit that the suit was huge, it seemed well built. Man that guy was so ugly though.

"Good to be back."

Yeah, not for long asshole!

"This ain't gonna be good."

His suit turned on and the whip looking things turned on. They were sparking and glowing just like Tony's arc reactor. Now I knew what he meant on the phone call when he said he doubled the cycle. He made it stronger. James stepped forward a little bit.

"I got something special for this guy. I'm gonna bust his bunker with the Ex-Wife."

"With the what?"

A part of his suit came up and exposed a missile looking thing. He shot it straight at Ivan's chest but it simply bounced off and fell into the creek at out feet before fizzing a bit and dying out. We both turned to look at him and Tony asked "Hammer tech?"

"Yeah."

I laughed as I responded.

"Figures. Hammer Ind. Sucks. You should know not to trust that, they had to fight to get a spot at the Stark Expo. That alone should tell you which is the better company."

"Aww thank you."

I rolled my eyes at Tony but then I heard a chuckle from Ivan.

"You girl. You die first. You ruin my plans and kill all my creations."

"Yeah well they sucked."

"I got this."

Tony gave his all and was shooting at the suit but it was just not doing much, Ivan seemed to discard him and turned to me. He flicked his arm so that one of his whips wrapped around me. That fucking hurt! The shock and pain brought me to my knees before instincts kicked in and my whole body turned on again, I freed my hands and wrapped them around the whip. It still hurt but I was lighting up the wire all the was up to the suit. He let go when the heat started to bother him but he turned and wrapped the other whip around both guys. I ran at his back and tried melting the material of the suit, he started yelping in pain and reflex made him tighten his hold on the guys. I stopped right away but Tony had already came up with another plan with James.

"Put your hand up!"

"This is your idea?"

"Yep."

"I'm ready. I'm ready. Go, go, go!"

"Take it!"

They both shot out their repulsors at each other and when they met in the middle, it exploded. Unfortunately for Ivan, he was in the middle. He was shot back and as the mask came down so did the light of his arc reactor. He lifted his head and moved his hand to press a button there before smiling through the pain one last time.

"You lose."

His reactor and all the droids start flashing red.

"All these drones are rigged to blow! We gotta get out of here!"

At the same time that Tony yelled out Pepper's name, I yelled out Expo. I took off into the sky but this time I was flying alone so I lit my whole body up hot, I was back at the Expo in less than 15 seconds. There were people taking pictures of themselves in front of the pile I had left. I landed and stood in front of it hoping I could somehow absorb the explosion like I had absorbed the fire earlier.

"These are going to explode! Run! Every one run!"

They took off towards the door but only got halfway when the explosion happened. I absorbed as much as I could but through the flames I could not see and had no idea if I was even helping. It felt like I had a heavy weight just sitting on my chest. I couldn't breath from the weight on my whole body. Finally I felt some of the weight lifting and I opened my eyes to see that I was absorbing the smoke of the explosion. I fell to my knees and almost felt like sobbing out in relief. I had absorbed all of it. People were standing 15 feet away and they were fine, not even the room or the floor was damaged. Finally when the smoke was completely cleared I was able to take a deep breath of fresh air, the contrast made me light headed and I fell forward coughing, I curled up in a ball and just wanted to fall asleep. The adrenaline that I had pumping through me was fading fast and the pain of the bullets was at the forefront of my mind now. People surrounded me instantly trying to help me but before they could touch me I saw Tony land next to me with who I assumed was Pepper. He put her down and told her to take care of everything here, then he bent down, picked me up and took off with me. Once I saw that we were on my apartment roof, I extended my hand so I could scan it for roof access. It hurt a lot so he helped me put my hand in place. Once we were inside I felt him lay me down in a lab, used up all the strength I could.

"Tony please, you have to check if I left blood back there on the floor, if anyone gets their hands on it-"."

"I didn't let anyone take my suit. I won't let anyone take your blood. Don't worry Bella. I'll keep you safe until you wake up and have Pepper take care of anything left back there."

I finally felt safe enough to relax and I passed out cold. I think I hear him say something else but I just didn't have the strength to think about if I heard something or not.

"Maybe even after."

.

.

.

I felt something, a hand? Near my head. Petting my head. I opened my eyes and they met Natasha's. She was running her fingers through my hair.

"I got a call from Fury and Clint. They were out of their minds thinking Stark had lifted and taken off with your lifeless body. They are on their way here now."

"I feel fine. What time is it?"

"It's only 7 am. I got here with Pepper 3 hours ago, we had been helping to clear everyone. Then we had to give our statements to the police about Hammer. I hope you don't mind but I gave Stark and her one of your guest rooms. It took a lot of convincing but I finally convinced him that I would watch over you and that he could go sleep for a bit. He seemed protective of you."

"Hm I wonder why."

She looked deep into my eyes and for the first time I saw her soften and let down her tough exterior for a second.

"I am very proud of you Bella. You risked your life to protect those people. You didn't even know if you could actually absorb that explosion did you?"

"I figured I could. You would have done the same thing. You and Clint have trained me well."

I gave her a lazy smile. I really did feel fine, nothing hurt and I was not sore. I just felt like when you sleep so well that you have trouble actually getting out of bed because you aren't really awake. I felt like today was a put yoga pants on and laze in front of the TV, sleep, and eat. Type of day. I got up from the lab bench and I checked my shoulder, it looked like nothing was there, like nothing ever happened.

"I saw that not 2 hours ago and it looked like it would leave a strange scar. You heal fast."

"Well in this case, I'm glad."

We took the elevator down to the kitchen and I got started on making some breakfast.

"I can order something if you want?"

"No, it's okay. I want to make it. Eggs Benedict good?"

"Yeah, I had it once and it was good."

"It's my favorite."

I started making the sauce and while it thickened up I started on some hash browns and cutting up some fruit. I was almost done and just like I had thought, the smell lured out my guests. Tony and Pepper looked tired but I could see some excitement in Tony's eyes.

"You are cooking! I was hoping it was you. Remember you set the bar high yesterday so I am expecting to be wowed."

"Tony!"

"What? Wait until you taste her food, it's like an orgasm in your mouth!"

Natasha and I were chuckling but she did nod.

"Her food is good. It has become tradition to eat here every Friday."

"Well, looks like I have to make my own day too, you got Friday, I think Sunday or Monday works best for me. That sound good to you Bella?"

"Ha! Sure Tony, drop in whenever you want. I am at your service."

"See Pep? You see how nice she is to me? Why isn't everyone like her?"

"It's called sarcasm Tony."

I plated the food and was happy to finally use the dinning room. It was gigantic and so I had never used it but today there was enough people to make it acceptable. Everyone opted for orange juice, even Tony, although he wanted champagne to make a mimosa but after Pepper glared at him he just took the plain juice. I thought both of them together were hilarious and I could tell they really cared for each other. I raised my glass to get their attention.

"I don't know what kind of beliefs you all have, but I just want to take a second to thank God. Yesterday was my first 'mission' type of thing where losing my life was actually a possibility and so I just want to thank you Natasha for training me so well with Clint and thank you Tony for literally making me fly. I never would have tried doing it on my own but now I think I will be using the roof access a lot more than the lobby."

They laughed and we even chinked glasses.

"Oh my god!"

"I told you, its like an explosion in your mouth isn't it?"

"Tony!"

"What? To soon to make explosion jokes?"

"Yes!"

"This is really good Bella."

"Yes and you will be proud to know that it is just as good as yesterday's meal."

"Thanks."

"Oh! I almost forgot. I spent hours avoiding your phone but it kept ringing and ringing so I finally picked up. Your friends with the Washington area code were very worried but a bunch of guys on the speaker phone where glad that Iron Man was with you. Some girls started crying hysterically because they thought you were dead so I told them you would call them back and I hung up because I don't do well with crying. Same thing with 2 girls called Jane and Darcy, they were crying and said they were taking the first flight up here. Lastly, another little girl called, she wanted to know if you were okay and I told her you would call as soon as you woke up. Ironically, the little girl was the only one who didn't cry."

"Oh geez, thanks. I will call them in a bit. I feel like lounging all day but first I want to shower. I smell smokey."

After I showered, Natasha left, saying she wanted to go home to shower and that she was going to report at S.H.I.E.L.D. she said she wold be back at night with Fury and that Clint should be here at that time too. I made my calls and spent over an hour talking with the pack. I spoke with Kitty and assured her I would visit next weekend if I could. When I called Jane and Darcy they didn't answer so I figured that they really had hopped on the first flight out here. I spent the whole day just lounging with Tony and Pepper. They were very laid back and Pepper kept saying apologizing for crashing at my place but I assured her it was fine.

"It's really fine. I never get visitors. Just on Friday's when Natasha and Clint come over. I like having people over and I have so many rooms so please stay as long as you need. It's better than staying in a hotel anyway."

"Thank you so much. And really if you get bored or just want to do your own thing then you don't have to be here with us, don't think you have to entertain us."

"Really Pepper you have to stop apologizing!"

"Okay okay, but really, thank you."

Tony thought it was funny because he had never seen her so flustered but he kept holding on to her hand and stroking her cheek. I thought it was cute, I had a feeling that not many people saw this softer side to Tony. Around 8 pm I got a text alerting me that Natasha, Clint, and one other person was in the elevator. I figured the 3rd person was Fury so I let them up. Fury came in and actually smiled at me before putting an arm around me.

"We are all proud of you at S.H.I.E.L.D. you showed strength, bravery, and courage. We are very glad to have you on our team. I heard you are all healed up?"

"Yes, Tony stitched me up well before I healed. He said I had 2 gun shot wounds but only 1 bullet was still in there."

"Good. I am glad he took care of you."

"Yeah. I think we make a good team. don't we Tony?"

"I would be lying if I said I wouldn't work with you again."

"I'll take it."

Fury stared at us and I saw him exchange glances with Natasha and Clint. I don't know what it was suppose to mean but I hoped that they saw that Tony was a good person and different from the exterior he put out to the public eye. Clint came up next and gave me a tight hug, he was more expressive that Natasha and Fury, I suspected it was because he had kids. They stayed over until 10:30 pm but left right before Jane and Darcy got here. They hugged me for a very long time and made me go through every detail of last night. They were very excited when they saw all the videos of me on the news flying, they wanted to see and Darcy even asked me to buy a harness so that I could fly and she could experience it too. Finally 2 hours later we could not keep our eyes open. Jane and Tony hit it off and got talking science while Pepper found Darcy's quirkiness fun. I was so happy to see her spirit lift a little at making a friend in Pepper, I don't know why she was having a hard time in school. Usually everyone that meets Darcy loves her instantly. Around 1 am I fell asleep dreading to see what else they came up with on the news, today in the morning they were singing my praises for 'being so brave and selfless' then they moved on to Tony and James. Who knows what else they will milk from this tomorrow.


	13. Chapter 13

**They call her Human Torch! Chapter 13**

**1 week later. Monday August 8, 2011 **

It had been one week since the Stark Expo disaster. That is what they were calling it on the news. Jane and Darcy decided to stay a while longer, Jane had no project for work and Darcy just called the school and asked to be sent the work so she was doing is all online. Tony and Pepper were still here as well and they were still staying in my apartment, we had all been going back to the scene everyday as well as hundreds of volunteers, to help clean up the damage done outside of the arena and on the streets towards the Oracle center. We finished cleaning up yesterday and now it was up to the city to repave some areas of the city. The news stations had been there too, did they help? No of course not. They just filmed us. They made it seem as if we were being humble in helping with the clean up, as if it were below us. I had just finished cleaning the kitchen and went to sit in the living room with Tony and Darcy. Jane was tinkering up in the lab and Pepper was using my second office to do some work from there. Tony and I had convinced her over the week that she should get the ball rolling on expanding the company over here, he told her all about the new element and how they could rework it to try and make the first self-sustained energy building. Tony was working on plans for the top couple of floors and leaving the rest to Pepper. They said they would leave some floors empty for future expansion to the company or to the personal floors above.

"Hey what time are you leaving?"

"Around 2:30. Why?"

"Can I use your observatory tonight? I want to set up a dinner for Pep."

"AWW Iron Man is showing a romantic side! Can I help?!"

I just laughed as Tony rolled his eyes at Darcy. He nodded yes though and I knew he liked her, she was silly and he understood her quirkiness just like I did. She loved Tony, she had a little freak out moment when he showed her the suit and literally shed a small tiny tear when he let her touch it.

"Good luck with that one. I'm gonna go get ready."

Soon I was on the road to the school. I had promised Kitty that I would go over during the weekend but the clean up had taken longer than expected. I called ahead of time and Charles had given me permission to pick her up and take her off school grounds. He did warn that she had to be back no later than 7 pm since she did have homework. School should be out by 3, so I timed it to get there 10 minutes after that. I pulled up and once again saw the huge mansion door open to reveal some staff and a whole lot of students. I was about to get out but Kitty ran out through the kids and got in the car.

"Hey! How are you doing? In a rush?"

"Yeah, I wanted to see how you were doing."

"I told you on the phone, I am 100% fine."

"No, I mean with the latest news. Everyone at the school is so mad and upset. Even the teachers and the professor, he wanted to ask you to come in and talk about it before we left but I got Logan to convince him to let me go first then you might agree to come in after."

"Kitty what are you talking about? Why would you guys be upset over anything the news said?"

"Haven't you seen the news today?"

"I saw a little part of it in the morning. What did they say?"

"Uh, well they said that the military forces want to give Tony Stark and James Rhodes medals for their service. They announced it less than 2 hours ago. Reporters at the conference asked about you and they said that you would not get one because your powers made it easy for you as a mutant. They said Mr. Stark and Colonel Rhodes are human and put their lives at risk so they deserve the honor. People started protesting right away in Washington. It is mutant discrimination!"

I drove for less than a minute in silence until I found an empty lot and pulled into it, turning off the car I took a deep breath.

"Kitty, I don't need that medal. If I saved people to get attention and to be recognized then it would have not been for the right reasons. I-"

"That is not the point Bella, I know the medal probably doesn't mean anything to you but it's what the medal represents! It's so unfair that they are publicly thanking 2 humans and not you. Why? You are the one who saved all the people in that room! They would have all died Bella! You _saved _them!"

"No, the reasons behind it are not fair. You are right. But how would it make me look if I went out in public fighting this? It would look like I just want to have that medal. Mutant rights is something that is so rarely talked about. Some are aggressively against it while others fight and protest everyday, everywhere for it."

"What are you going to do then?"

"I don't know that there is something I can do. The humans have to figure it out on their own this time."

I could tell by the look on her face that she was conflicted, she as a mutant wanted equality. She wanted to go out in public and not be careful about what she could do but at the same time, she understood that any move I made would be frowned upon by one side or the other. If I were honest with myself, I didn't know how to really feel. I was a mutant to humans, but I don't have the gene. I was stuck in a very public matter and I did not like it one bit.

"How about we just go eat somewhere and forget about this for a while?"

"Okay. Where are we going to go eat?"

"Have you ever tried Persian food?"

"No, what type of stuff do they have?"

"I don't know, I have never had it. Lets go try it together."

"Cool!"

I laughed at her enthusiasm, she really was a joy to be around. The place I saw was about 20 minutes back so I sped up a little. I loved driving away from New York City. The rest of the state had normal traffic that I was use to. Once we got in the place, we were seated quickly by an elderly woman, she hardly spoke English and I let out a sigh of relief that she did not recognize me. She gave us flimsy menu's and left. Thankfully the strange names to the plates had an English translation, albeit not good ones.

"It's kinda worrying that this place is so empty."

"Well, who knows, I mean they had a yelp sticker on the window so at least we know it has some good reviews. Plus it is not even 4 yet, I'm sure late dinner it their rush hours."

"That's true. Bella, what is yelp?"

"Oh it is an app where almost all businesses are on. You can see pictures that people post and reviews. There are even tips and stuff like that. It is really helpful when you don't know what is around you."

"That sounds awesome!"

"Yeah, m friend Darcy showed me how to use it. Here."

I handed over my phone with the app open and she started exploring, she was very quick to pick up on it and soon she had found this restaurant. We looked through the pictures and saw that the Kabobs were their most talked about thing, the place itself only had 3 stars but all the people said it was because the service was so bad. True to the reviews, the lady came back out with waters 10 minutes later. She took our drink order and we both asked for lemonades. She came back with them 5 minutes after that and finally she came back a 3rd time to take our order.

"Can we both have the special please?"

"Joojeh and Koobideh yes?"

"Uh, yeah? That is the chicken kabob and the ground beef kabob right?"

"Yes, yes. House special."

"Oh then yeah. We will both have that."

She went to the back again and Kitty let out a laugh.

"Do you know what we ordered?"

"Honestly? No, not at all. I'm sure it will be the special though."

"Sure" She giggled a bit more before I got my water and flicked some her way.

"Hey!" I laughed when she tried flicking some back at me but she had drank too much and couldn't get her had to reach the water in the thin cup.

"That's not fair. These glasses are so tiny! I swear the toilet paper cardboard in the middle is thicker!"

She settled for sticking her tongue out at me instead but soon her eyes lit up and she used her mutation to stick two fingers into the water through the plastic of the cup. My eyes widened at the sight but I smiled her way before she flicked water back with a laugh.

"So, Kitty how old are you?"

"Oh I am 15! I just had a birthday 2 months ago on June 19th."

We talked about her favorite shows and music. It was very typical for a girl her age but then when it came to books she liked all the classics, every single book I named, she had already finished. I was proud of her for that. This generation does not do enough reading. Our food came 40 minutes later but we did not mind. We were having a very good conversation and getting to know each other.

"This chicken is sooo good! I've never tasted anything like this!"

"Me either. I am going to look up a recipe as soon as I get home. The beef is okay but this chicken is my favorite. Next time I would get 2 of these instead of the combination."

"I like them both. I would get this exact thing!"

We finished eating less than 10 minutes later, it was good and our hunger caught up with us fast. The older lady came back out to refill our lemonades then and take away our plates.

"Dessert?"

"What kind of desserts do you have?"

She went towards the front counter and brought back the menu and pointed to the dessert section.

"Is there something you recommend?"

"Makhloot very delicious. We make it fresh."

"Oh what is it?"

"Combination of Bastani and faloodeh."

Well that clears things up. I exchanged a look with Kitty and I know we were both thinking the same thing.

"We can share it if you want."

"Yeah that sounds good. Can we get that makl- um that, what you said please?"

"Okay. Makhloot."

"Yes, thank you."

She went back and we laughed again at the absurdity of not knowing what the hell we ordered. So far everything was great though. The woman came back with a frosted glass and inside was 2 scoops of ice cream. One was yellow, it had chunks of pistachios and tasted like rose water. The second scoop looked like ice with noodles.. noodles. I wasn't sure if I wanted to taste that one but when I did, it was so great! It tasted like rose water as well but with a lemon kick to it. Both of them melted together and made an even better taste. I could understand why they put these 2 together.

"I am coming back here! This is so good! Even if I have to walk here after school!"

"Oh yeah! You tell me when you are coming and I will meet you here. This is great."

"Can we make this our like special place? You know how everyone has that one place that they don't share with anyone?"

"Sure. That sounds like a great idea Kitty."

"I kinda wanna ask what these little hairs are though. They look funky."

"It smells like saffron. Maybe it's what makes the ice cream yellow."

We finished it off even faster than the chicken and I quickly paid. I drove until we passed a park that had a full set of swings.

"You wanna stop there? I love swings!"

"Yeah!"

We spent about an hour just relaxing and swinging. The sunset was beautiful from here without the buildings blocking it like in the city. We didn't talk much, I think we both had a lot to think about and this space was perfect, especially since we were together. Coming to a park alone would have been depressing.

"We gotta go hun, it's already 6:24."

"Aw fine. Can we hang out again soon though? Maybe next time we can take those donations or you can help me send them? I have everything in perfect piles now and packed back in boxes. They are in my room. Oh and I counted the money, it is 2,568 dollars."

"Wow. What are you going to do with it?"

"I don't know. I reserved a spot to use the library computers next week. From there I can look up veteran places and see which one needs it the most?"

"That's wonderful of you to do. What do you mean by reserve a spot though?"

"Yeah to use a computer."

"Don't you have a laptop or any electronic device?"

"Well no, I told you about how my parents didn't want anything to do with me after the professor told them I was a mutant. They even changed their address when I was 13. I sign up for a bunch of chores at the school so that I could earn money to spend when I get invited to movies or to the mall but I don't need anything else. The school helps a lot too, they buy me shampoo and all the essential stuff."

"Is that how they help everyone else too?"

"Well yeah, Rogue ran away from home and other students have problems at home too but most of them get visits and allowance from their parents."

"Kitty who is your guardian?"

"I'm not sure. My parents handed over all my documents to the school, I think Storm or Jean took care of some legal aspects"

That did not sit well with me at all. I felt all of today's revelations were starting to weigh on me. I would talk to Charles about this right now, how is it possible that she did not know who her guardian, this was hitting a little too close to home. I took care of Renee but she still mothered me once in a while and provided me with anything I needed. Same with Charlie. I mean this girl needed a phone. What if she got lost again and I was not there to pick her up? What if she needed something that the school did not cover and she did not have enough for it?

"Kitty are you happy at the school? I mean do they really treat you right?"

"Oh yeah, they are great. I mean, I don't always fit in but that's not really their fault.."

"What? You can tell me."

"They are all like a family. Everyone is so close to each other. I am close to them too but it just bothers me that I can't get as close as they are. I consider myself part of the team and all but I don't really feel like they are my family you know? And the girls are like best friends with each other, I hang out with them too but I leave very quickly because their interests just don't match mine. I only have 1 interest in common with Rogue and well you saw how that went. I do have my friend Peter, we always stick together since both of us have a harder time bonding with the others."

"You don't feel like you fit in."

It was not a question. I knew exactly what she was talking about. I had felt like that for years in school and today it has all crashed back. I wanted to help her but I really didn't know how. I can't just buy her everything she needs, she is just like me and I knew that would not make her feel good, I had to sneak things in with excuses. But first I had to get her to truly trust me. I had to show her that I was not just going to leave her later after coming in and changing everything about her. I had to prove to her that I was not like the Cullen's, she did not know them but the same thing happened to her when her parents left her. I had to show her that she could consider me family because I would not leave, not like they did. That was why she couldn't fit in with anyone. No one had ever shown her how to really trust because no one had ever been there for her unconditionally.

Once we pulled up in front of the mansion, she grabbed my hand and dragged me to her room. We had agreed that I would take the items and donate them and then next weekend I would come and help her split the money and send checks to donate. Her room was really small, it was just a twin bed, a dresser, a desk, a bookshelf, and her closet. No wonder she wanted to get rid of the boxes! They took up so much free space. I used my strength to carry 6 boxes and that left Kitty with 3 of the smaller ones. With the car loaded I asked her to take me to Charles, I almost felt like sweating with the thoughts running around in my head but I was determined to at least ask.

"Hello Bella, it is good to see you again. We were all worried after watching you fight on the news, although I must compliment you on your skill."

"Thank you very much. I know it is a little late but could I speak to you privately?"

"Of course. Please step in."

We sat across from each other and he must have seen that I was nervous.

"Charles, Kitty explained to me how some things worked around here in regards to earning money, that started another conversation and if I am being honest, I was not pleased to find out that she is not sure who her legal guardian is. I'm sure you can understand why that is troubling."

"Yes I certainly can. If I remember correctly, Jean put her name on the form."

"Okay, so is that all that it means? Is it just a form to legally make decisions for her? I really hope that I am not overstepping my boundaries but a child that only recently turned 15 years old needs personal guidance. She needs someone to take care of her and is responsible for her."

"We understand that and we do try with every student but there are many students and a lot of them are in the same situation as Ms. Pryde. I am sure that you have been able to tell that she is not like the rest of our students, we have a harder time getting her to join us for activities."

"I completely understand that about her, I was just like that in school and that is why I know that she needs someone that she can depend on, that she can look up to. She needs to feel like she can make mistakes and fall while having someone that can catch her. A school system is good and all but it is not enough to scold her and punish her when she messes up, she needs someone that will simply comfort her after the punishment."

"Bella, I think we both know where you are headed with this. You understand that we are not able to provide that for her. You would not be here arguing about it if you did not have a solution. The question is, are you responsible enough to take on such a serious commitment? I can't simply make up some paper work and hand her over as if she were a pet."

"I would NEVER see her as _pet!"_

I could feel my body shaking, struggling to control myself. I narrowed my eyes at him and threw every image of the Cullen's that I could. I didn't stop, not when the memory of what they were came up, not when they talked about gifts, not even when I passed on the memory of James and the torture and pain I endured. I was being stupid and I was being irresponsible. Yet I did not stop, it was too late now and even if he used all this against me I still did not stop, it was worth it to drive the point across. I have been taken in as a pet and left behind as nothing. I would never do that to anyone, much less someone like Kitty who I felt so protective of in such a short amount of time. I forced myself to stop before anything about the pack came up. The last image I left him with was of me curled up on the forest floor. I did not trust that he would not use this against me in some way or form but still I couldn't regret it, not if I could care for Kitty. She was worth it. I could feel a headache coming on from putting so much pressure on my head but still the shock I saw on his face was the only true indication that he had gotten those images and memories. He moved his wheelchair closer and put his hand on top of mine.

"I'm sorry."

"Why are you sorry?"

"I understand now that my words greatly insulted you. I am sorry for my words and for the things you have gone through in your short life. I see now that no one would understand and care for Kitty better than yourself. You know that and now I do too. I am very glad that she could finally find someone like you. I wish all my students could find someone to fill that void that we simply cannot. As for those thoughts that I caught behind the memories, I promise to you that I could never use that against you. One day you will seize to see that part of your life as a weak low point and you will begin to see it as an incredible stepping stone that got you to life's happiness."

"You don't seem very shocked."

"Well, although I have never interacted with one, I have been alive for enough time to have come across 2 or 3 vampires in a crowd. Maybe there have been more but thought's about being thirsty for the blood of someone else in the room stood out to me as a youngster. I knew of their existence but not of what they were capable of."

He squeezed my hand and I smiled at him softly as he retreated. He went to a closet in the office that was full of files. Quickly he plucked one out and handed it over.

"Get your lawyers to make up all the paperwork that is needed. When the time comes, we will sign anything necessary."

I took the file and put it in my bag.

"Thank you. First I have to ask Kitty if this is something she would even want."

"Well I will not wish you luck because the answer is very plainly obvious."

"Hah, yes that is what I am counting on. Have a good rest of your night."

"You too Bella. I hope to see you again soon."

I shut the door behind me and leaned on it. Now I was nervous again. She wanted me as her mentor right? So she should be okay with me being her guardian. I opened my eyes to find Logan leaning on the wall opposite of me. Smirking.

"I have heightened hearing."

Great.

"I think what you are doing is perfect for her. That kid needs a mom."

Mom?!

"uh- n- no I am not adopting, I am- I am hoping she will agree for me to be her guardian."

The bastard laughed at me and spoke as he walked away from me.

"Sure, you keep telling yourself that."

I smirked back at him and walked away as well but not before burning off all his nose hairs. I didn't burn him but he must have startled more than Tony because he yelped loudly before he started sniffing out to try and clear his nasal airways. I ran up the stairs laughing, that is until I knocked on the wall by the study hall. She was sitting on her own but I saw more books and a backpack that showed there was someone sitting there with her before, away from the tables filled with kids her age. They were all chatting while working but she was silent and concentrating on something. When I knocked and they all looked up at me. All the kids widened their eyes and started whispering among themselves. Kitty saw me and her eyes lit up. She shoved her books aside and came at me quickly, we stepped a few feet away from the door to gain more privacy.

"Hey, how is your homework going?"

"Good. I am almost done, just doing my reading and summarizing. I thought you were leaving right after talking with the professor?"

"I was but I talked to him about you and I wanted to tell you about that."

"What did he say?"

"Well I said that it was not okay for you to not know who your guardian is. Then we chatted a bit more and I told him that you needed more attention."

"No I really don't, I don't like being the center of attention."

"I know that, but you need someone to take care of you as guardians not just teachers. I suggested a solution to offer you something that the school cannot. I just don't know how you will feel about it. This is a very serious matter that I want- no, I NEED you to answer honestly."  
"I understand."

"How would you feel if we went through the legal system and I became your guardian? If I took responsibility for you?"

She had been bouncing her leg but as soon as the words left my mouth she froze. I watched in horror as her eyes filled with tears. What did that mean? Then a smile broke out and I smiled back in relief. She yelled out loud enough to make all the students inside turn and look at us in shock.

"You want to adopt me?!"

Oh shit. There's that word again. Can I do that? Mentor? Yes. Guardian? Yes. Mother? I don't know. I mean if Renee kinda managed it then surely I could right? I knew what _not _to do. I decided that I had already been irresponsible with Charles by showing him about the Cullen's. Why not top the day off with the cherry? I could do this. I had all that money in my bank account and a kinda stable job. Yeah I can do it. Shit. No I don't know if I can. Her excitement wavered as I took too long to react back and my mouth opened before consulting with my brain.

"Yes, I do."

She jumped so high and into my arms that I had trouble keeping up right. She sobbed into my shoulder and I teared up once I felt the wetness on my shirt. I promised myself that I would die before I failed this girl in any way. I looked up and saw Storm wiping her eyes before smiling at me and turning to walk away. Kitty released me and just looked up into my eyes.

"I would love it if you adopted me. Thank you! Thank you so much!"

"Don't thank me yet baby girl. You need to know that you won't be able to see me every weekend if I am on a mission. You are going to be my priority and I am going to try my best but you have to remember that I am going to mess up sometimes. I need you to always be honest and open about what you need. Even if what you need is new hairbands that are trending."

That got a laugh out of her. She nodded and took me to her room again to talk more about this. I found out that the school ran Monday – Thursday. The students who had parents around here usually left Thursday night and came back Sunday night so I told her I would pick her up Thursday after school and go to my apartment to pick out which room she wanted. She seemed really happy and I hated to leave but my phone had been ringing nonstop since I had picked her up. I knew they were calling to see how I felt about the medals but I could not let myself focus on that. I drove home slowly and the 40 minute drive turned into an hour and a half drive. There were dozens or reporters by the garage of my apartment but once I pulled in, they could not follow me inside since it was a private garage. I took the elevator straight up to the observatory, glad to see that Pepper and Tony were not in here anymore. I opened the roof and just laid on the floor looking up. My eyes started to water and began to cry. The tears disappearing into my hair or evaporating because of the heat on my face. I was happy and euphoric that I got to care for Kitty. I was hoping to give her the world. I was scared I would fail, scared that my focus to take Victoria out could somehow put her in danger. I was hurt, I was not willing to tell anyone or make anyone believe that I needed recognition but honestly it hurt my heart so much just thinking that I was not worthy of something just because I was not human. It's like it didn't matter what I did, even as a stupid pathetic human girl way over her head with vampires or as a maybe mutant that could stand on her own, I was never enough it seemed. I never heard the elevator ping but I felt 3 pairs of arms hug me. Jane, Darcy, and Natasha. Pepper put a hand on my thigh while Clint and Tony just sat on the floor across from me and Fury stood a few feet behind them, taking in the scene. I saw the concern in their eyes and the feeling of comfort that I had just took me over the edge. I started crying for everything. Jane spoke trying to comfort me.

"Bella we will all fight this, you deserve to be honored too. We will fight for mutant rights with you Bella."

I let out a shaky breath and shook my head.

"That's not what this is about Jane. I am not saying anything to the public. They can keep the damn medal."

"What are you saying Bella? Of course you have to fight against it. If you don't then what kind of message does that send other mutants?"

"I'm not a mutant! Stop saying that!"

They all froze in silence, not really knowing what to say.

"Bella-"

"Don't Jane! You have seen my DNA. I have spent night after night in there testing everything I can think of! I don't match with humans, I don't match with Mutants. Hell I have even tested it against animal DNA and nothing! I have no clue what I am, I don't fit in as this. I didn't even fit in as a human or with the pack, with the Cullen's. I never fit in anywhere and still I have to listen to those fucking ass holes on the news criticize me and expect me to fight for mutant rights when I am still trying to figure out what I am! If I do then people will think I just want the glory, if I don't other mutants will criticize me. Nothing I do is going to be right."

I just curled up in a ball and felt the tears still streaming. Breathing had become a problem and I just felt like I was losing it. I took a minute to just hope that no one would ask who the pack or the Cullen's were.

"Bella why hadn't you told us that this was bothering you so much? Yes the results are not giving us answers but Bella you don't have to fit in anywhere. You can't feel like an outcast, just look around. We have all been here all day waiting for you to come home just to see if you were okay. We love you and you are our friend. We don't want you to be feeling like this. We want you to live your life and be happy, we want to share happy memories with you. Do you trust us enough to open up to us? I know I am not always here but when I am, I want to be down there in your lab doing all the tests with you, I want you to talk to me and tell me how you feel about all the results. You don't have to shoulder this on your own anymore Bella. You have us to talk to."

"That's right. I have not known you very long Bella but you are a good person, I can see that. I want to help anyway that I can. I hope you trust me enough by now to be with you as well and to help with anything I can. I know how scary it is to not know anything about yourself. Hell, this thing in my chest is the only thing keeping me alive. How normal is that? But you helped me figure it out. I will stick with you until we figure out some answers. Science buddies remember?"

I had to snort out a laugh at Tony, he was trying for serious but he just had to put his humor into it too. I was feeling embarrassed for totally losing it in front of all my friends and my freaking employer but I did feel lighter. I had such a great day with Kitty. I never felt this pressure in my emotions until they bubbled over and spilled out but I am glad they did because although I would always be afraid of someone somehow using my DNA against me, I was looking forward to having Tony and Jane in the lab with me. I looked around at each of their faces and I felt even lighter. I knew these people, they were my friends and after tonight, I had a whole new appreciation for each and everyone of them. I knew the pack was there for me but I was so focused on making it on my own without their help that I figured no one else could ever understand me and be there for me like them.

"Thank you."

Natasha held me and helped me get up. She was the last person that I was expecting to show affection but after last week when I woke up to her stoking my hair, I feel like something shifted in our friendship.

"You don't have to thank us Bella, why don't we go downstairs and you can tell us what happened. We have been calling you all day!"

I nodded and we took the elevator down. Darcy cornered me in the living room after everyone sat down, she hugged me tight and whispered in my ear.

"I love you so much Bella, you are my best friend."

"I love you too Darcy."

Pepper made coffee and once everyone was settled they turned to me expectantly. Fury raised an eyebrow at me.

"Well?"

I sighed and started explaining to them about driving 3 mutants home. I didn't give out dates or locations so that no one would catch on to the fact that Barton and I had finished the mission early. Clint gave me a look though that told me he knew exactly when this all took place.

".. So I have been in contact with her and today I went to visit the school again and took her to eat. She told me about what had been said on the news but I ignored it since I was spending the day with her."

I talked to them about how she was raised and I told them everything about her except her ability. They were sad for her and outraged at her parents. I told them about my talk with Charles about guardianship and they were surprised but accepting. I knew I was just buttering them up for the ending but so far it was working.

"So after that I went and talked to her about it. I asked her how she would feel about me being her guardian. She thought I meant adoption. And I didn't correct her. I am adopting her and she will live here Thursday's to Sunday's."

Collectively all the voices around the room shouted at the same time.

"WHAT?!"


	14. Chapter 14

**They call her Human Torch! Chapter 14**

**The next morning. Tuesday August 9, 2011**

I woke up with dry eyes from all the crying last night, but overall I stretched and felt so much better than I had in a really long time. I took a shower and got ready for the day before going downstairs to start on breakfast. The bacon drew everyone out and soon they were sitting at the kitchen counter watching my every move. Last night after they screamed out I simply said goodnight and went up to my room. I knew they were going to drill me and pester me until I gave in. I had to turn around towards the stove so they would not see my smirk. I decided to mess with them and got my phone to call Brian. Aaron ended up answering the call and I was confused until I remembered that they were roommates.

"Hey Bella! What's up? Brian is still sleeping I think."

"Hey Aaron, nothing much really, I just wanted to set up a meeting with you guys or just one of you so you guys can walk me through some paperwork that I need drawn up."

"Sure, you want to set it up at our office or you just want us to go over and talk about it there?"

"If you guys could come over that would be better for me. Wanna have dinner here?"

"Sounds great. Make lasagna!"

"Of course I will!"

"We have a lot to catch up on. You need to explain to me why I have been seeing you on the news so often lately."

"Sure sure. See you later."

"Bye."

Once he hung up I felt all their eyes on me. I knew they were itching to say something but I ignored it and kept serving up breakfast. Inside I was laughing so much but I wanted them to break first. One by one I sat a plate in front of all of them and finally I served up my own and started eating like nothing. They actually ignored the food except for Tony. He dug right in with a smile on his face and I knew he knew what I was doing. Darcy was so close, I could see it. I decided to push her over the edge.

"So what are you guys doing today?"

"ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME?"

I couldn't hold it in anymore, I bent over laughing and once they saw the look on her face Tony and Jane joined me in laughing. Pepper tried but in the end we were all laughing off the tension that they held in all morning. Darcy and Pepper composed themselves first and Darcy looked me right in the eye.

"Were you serious?"

"Yes, she needs someone to protect her and take care of her."

"But, I mean you are about to turn 20. You are going to adopt someone at 19 Bella. Have you really thought it through?"

"I can honestly say that there is no doubt in my mind about this. She needs me. I can provide for her, not just materialistic stuff but actual support and care that she needs. You remember how your parents would always try to send me off with things or feed me when I went over to your house? They knew that Renee was not reliable. Kitty doesn't even have a Renee. She needs me Darcy."

Her eyes softened and she sighed.

"You need her too."

"Yes. She reminds me so much of myself, how I use to be, but the outlook she brings to things, her way of thinking, it's just incredible, and different. She doesn't fit in very well because of her differences, I want to show her that it's okay, she is going to do amazing things one day, I know it."

Darcy gave me a small smile. She and I stuck together like glue as soon as we met, we both had a different way of thinking than kids our age, we understood each other and now I think she finally understood the need I had to make this happen. She came to hug me and I hugged her back.

"I can't wait for you to meet her, you will love her and I know she will love you."

Surprise showed on her features.

"Wait! Am I going to be an aunt?"

"Yeah! I never thought of it like that. I guess you would be."

"That's awesome! I can't wait to meet her Bella. My mind is still not 100% wrapped around this but if any 19 year old can be a good mom to a 15 year old. It is definitely you. When did you say we were going to meet her?"

"Thanks Darcy! You guys can meet her Thursday."

Tony cleared his throat and I just knew he was going to lighten the feel of the room.

"Well I for one, cannot wait to meet Pep and I's future goddaughter."

"Oh Tony! You can't presume she is going to make us godparents!"

"Why not? Godparents are suppose to spoil the squirt right? Who would do that better than you and I?"

I laughed and we kept eating our breakfast. An hour later I was writing down a list of what I needed from the store. Jane and Darcy were going to go with Pepper while I cleaned and Tony was upstairs exploring my lab, although it was starting to feel like _our _lab since the 3 of us were always up there lately and they certainly know how to put it to better use than I ever could. Tony had even talked to me about updating stuff and putting in sensors so that he could install Jarvis into my apartment. I'm not sure if I actually needed it but I knew he would likely be staying here for a while until the new Stark building was up and running, it shouldn't make sense but we all seemed to fit in and feel comfortable together. I sent off the girls and quickly got to changing all the sheets from the rooms that they were using and just dusting the rooms that were available. I wondered which room Kitty would choose? I had 2 extra rooms available on my floor and a bunch down here. She would probably want to be closer to the first floor, that is why Darcy, Jane, and Tony chose rooms down there. I quickly finished up there and just did light cleaning everywhere else. This place was so big that really the only places that were dirty was the kitchen and the living room, the rest was unused.

"Hey."

I turned and saw Tony sitting on the floor of the projection room.

"Hey, what are you doing in here? I thought you were in the lab."

"I was, but then I started exploring. You know you have a projector in the huge conference room. So this room is wasted space."

"I have a lot of that in this apartment. What do you suppose we do with it?"

"That is what I am trying to figure out."

"Right. Tony I think you are bored."

"I am. Let's go do something! We should go- oh wait.. Bella. I just figured out what you can do in here!"

And just like that, he ran off to my second office to make calls. That office too had become Pepper and Tony's office. I loved having them all here. They did not feel like guests, they all did their own thing during the day but we came together to eat breakfast and dinner. It felt like family. I really hope Kitty feels that here too.

A few hours later everyone was back and I had just put the lasagna in the oven. I had planned this to be the time that I called the pack, if things did not go well then I had 30 minutes to use the 'I left my oven on' excuse. I locked myself in my office and sat at the desk just drumming my fingers as I waited for them to pick up.

"Hello?"

"Hey Em!"

"Bella! We tried calling you yesterday but you never answered. We were worried about you."

"I am fine Em, don't worry about me, I am not paying attention to whatever those idiots on the news say. Listen, I called to talk to you guys about something else, is most of the pack there?"

"Well not the ones that go to school but the rest of us are, Sam is on patrol."

"Great. Can you put me on speaker? The rest of the guys can just show each other the phone call later."

The less people the better I think. I had gotten closest to Paul and Leah so I was kinda worried about them but no matter what, I would not let them change my mind. There was only one thing I was very nervous about.

"Hey Bella."

"What's up Bells!"

"Hey guys! How have you been?"

"We have been good, no one has imprinted and no one has died so we can't complain."

"Wow Paul, that is not grim at all."

He laughed but I heard Leah slap the back of his head. Once everyone was quiet I started talking.

"So guys. I know that this is going to be a shock I want you guys to hear me out about this and not interrupt. This is really important to me. You remember last week when we talked, I told you guys about the school of mutants and how I found it?"

I paused and heard a lot of hums of agreement.

"And you guys remember me talking about Kitty? She was the one that sorted out all the luggage into piles. Well yesterday I took her out to lunch, and well long story short, I spoke to the head of the school and decided to adopt her."

Silence. Pure silence. I was not sure if that was worse or better than the yelling yesterday. Finally Paul spoke.

"Bella. Adopt, as in, Mommy? I thought this girl was your age?"

"She just turned 15. Guy's, I know you may not understand it, Darcy and Jane had trouble with the idea too at first, but she needs me. She needs someone to take care of her. Her parents left her and the school cannot understand her and give her what I can."

"Bella I don't think you thought this through. You are letting your emotions of abandonment take over and block responsibility."

"I am. I know I am letting my personal feelings guide me but I am responsible, I am committed to her, to give her anything she needs. I am calling to let you guys know, not to have you try to talk me out of it."

"Don't get defensive, you know we are talking to you with your best interest in mind."

"Bella I feel like this is something that will actually help you as well as the girl, but have you thought about the danger you are putting her in? Victoria has not been around as much lately, just because she is a dead blood sucker doesn't mean she can't see the news. She must know you are the one on the TV all the time. We know you can defend yourself now but can she really be safe with you?"

"I want to tell her everything."

"What?"

"I want to protect her and take care of her but I need to welcome her into my life and tell her everything there is to know about myself. I am asking you guys to give me permission to tell her."

"Bella the council has already given you permission for 2 humans, there is no way they will allow you to tell a 15 year old our secret."

"I understand that I am asking so much. I really do, but I need to ask anyway. I will not tell her if I do not have your permission."

"But? There is something you are not saying."

"I need to hunt Victoria down so that she is not a threat, I need to be honest with Kitty. If I cannot tell her about you guys then I will have to hunt her down alone."

"Are you saying that you would cut off contact with us for her?"

I could hear the hurt in Leah's voice even through the phone and my heart felt like it twisted for a second just thinking of not having them in my life.

"No no, Jesus guys, of course not! I just can't expect her to trust me if I am not being honest with her about the people in my life, you guys would be in her life as well if she came with me to visit. She is a mutant, she would understand. We all know that the council will not be an easy sway but maybe if you guys point out that she literally goes to a secret school that normal non mutant humans don't know the location of. She is part of a team that is full of secrets. She is so young but she has grown up the last few years needing to have responsibility and maturity to keep secrets. She is just like you guys, you didn't choose to become wolves and keep secrets from old friends and family. She didn't choose to become a mutant either."

They remained quiet but I knew I had at least given them something to think about. Hopefully they could repeat what I told them to the council.

"Bella I will go get Sam right away and we will all talk to the council together."

"Thank you Emily. Look guys, I'm sorry to put you in this position again. I'm trying to build up something here for myself but I keep coming back to you guys every time… I really miss you guys. I know what a pain in the ass I am alright?"

I heard a scuffle on the other end and then a door closing before Paul came on the phone.

"Bells don't say that, you're not a pain in the ass. We're happy you are trying to build something up for yourself. We miss you too and it sucks you aren't around but if you feel you need this then I'll support you, I know most all of us will. We'll talk to the council, I mean if this girl got your attention then she must have something smart about her."

"She does, really Paul, I know you guys would love her."

"Then we'll meet her soon. Now, I know you, how are you really doing with this whole news shit?"

I leaned back and sighed, already feeling my eyes water in relief that he could hear it.

"I don't know.. I mean I already had a breakdown so don't expect a full thing."

He snorted but listened while I told him all about the previous night.

"Shit Bells."

"Yeah.. I kinda needed a hug from you guys yesterday. I took for granted the way being between all of you made me feel so safe."

I could hear slight emotion in his voice and knew this open way he talked to me was blocked off from most other people, that's the real reason he stepped out to talk to me.

"Bells, we are always going to be here for you, it doesn't matter what you make of yourself over there. When you come home we aren't about to treat you any different. I mean Quil and Embry miss picking on you so much."

That managed to get a laugh out of me and he sighed in relief, I knew he had reached his end on emotional conversation for the day and I had left a big favor resting on their shoulders.

"Tell them to find another victim. Look I gotta go finish dinner but I'll call again soon okay? Tell everyone I miss them and I love all of you so much.

"Okay, yeah, miss your ass too babe."  
I smiled and felt myself relax. "Bye Paul."

I knew I was asking so much from them but I didn't see ant other way. Kitty had to be my priority. How could I hide such a big part of my life from her? I know my past and my present can come at me at any moment and she can so easily get caught in the middle. If all of this came out on accident later then she would feel betrayed that I never told her. I couldn't risk hurting her like that. A text notifying me of the elevator being in use brought me out of my thoughts. I checked the camera monitor on my desk and saw that Brian had come with Aaron. If felt strange to see them without Tom but their friendship had kinda diffused when he took a job offer in another firm. They never had time to see each other and the firms were like 'enemy' firms so they just drifted apart I guess. I went out to the kitchen where everyone was at and soon the elevator doors opened.

"Hey guys! Great to see you again, it's been too long."

"Yeah it has B, new room mates?"

"Kinda. Guys, this is Darcy, Jane, Pepper, and Tony. Guys, these are my friendly lawyers, Brian and Aaron."

They exchanged pleasantries and they stuttered a bit at shaking Pepper and Tony's hands. Soon we were sitting at the table with all 3 guys stuffing their faces.

"Bella, this garlic bread is going to make my mouth smell funny for at least 4 days but it is the best I've ever had!"

"Tony, that is store bought bread! I only toasted it!" I said between giggles.

"Whatever, it's this lasagna then, everything you make is so good."

The girls were laughing since they are the ones who brought the bread but eventually we started talking business when there was a break in conversation.

"So Bella, what kind of paperwork do you need drawn up?

"Adoption papers."

Brian choked on a piece of lasagna and Aaron spit up his wine. Everyone at the table chuckled, having gone through those reactions already, I sighed at having to go through the same damn explanation for the 3rd time.

"… and so, I did not correct her, I have thought a lot about it since then and I can't find a reason not to go ahead with it."

They both put their game face on and started talking as my lawyers.

"Well Bella, first of all I understand why you want to do this but unfortunately, in the state of New York, there must be a 10 – 15 year age gap, or the person must be at least 21 years of age with an approval from child services. The process to adopt her would have to wait until you are either 21 or until you have had guardianship of her for at least 6 months. The fact that she is 15 is very helpful because the court would most likely ask her for what she prefers, if she said she wants you as her guardian and you were financially stable, which you are, then all that we would need would be a signature from her current guardian."

I sighed disappointed that I could not get the whole process over with, I wouldn't want to drag Kitty through the court.

"Don't worry Bella, with the connections we have, guardianship shouldn't take more than 2 weeks. After that we wait 5 or 6 months and with you being so rich and stable and with her saying that she wants to be adopted then the process should move fairly quickly, there is a chance that we won't have to wait until you are 21."

I nodded, feeling a bit better about it, I know Kitty would be upset at the set back but I at least want to get the ball rolling on this as quick as possible.

"Okay, what do we need to do then?"

"Just give us the file with her birth certificate and guardianship papers. We will make the appointments and draw up the papers. The good thing is that her parents already released her, now all we really need is for you to be brought before the court so they can analyze how fit you are, honestly, bringing in the fact that she is a mutant, if we get lucky enough to get appointed a racist judge then he will approve it simply because he wouldn't care."

They must have seen the disgust on my face and the anger on everyone's face.

"I know it is not right, but it happens more often than you would think."

I shook my head at the thought and we quickly moved on to another subject. We girls ended up watching some very bad movie while the guys played in the arcade. Darcy nudged my side and put her arm around me.

"So how are you feeling about what they said?"

"It sucks that we have to wait you know? But I am just glad that I can at least take guardianship of her. It's a step in the right direction."

"Ugh! I know right? Why does it have to be so complicated? In that movie, what's it called? Where the girl has like powers to move shit."

Jane and Pepper got pensive looks on their faces when Jane jumped up and yelled "Escape to witch mountain!"

"No no. not that one!"

Pepper took a turn and yelled

"Carrie!"

"No! A little girl!"

"Matilda!"

"Yes! That was it! You know in the end she pulls out adoption papers that she printed out in the fucking library! Her parents sign them like nothing and boom! Happily ever after."

I started laughing and soon we all rented the movie on the TV and watched it, talking about how mouth watering that chocolate cake looked.

**2 days later. Thursday August 11. 2011**

I woke up and jumped out of bed, I was in a great mood, a mix of excitement and nerves. Today I was going to pick up Kitty at 3 and she was going to come to my apartment for the first time and also meeting everyone else. They acted cool but when I went to make breakfast they were already up and straightening stuff out. I had already cleaned but the girls just needed something to do I guess. They helped me prep for today's meal and then they went off to buy fabric samples and a huge book from a local paint shop that had a sample of all the colors they had. Pepper was an excellent organizer and once she got the idea of getting to know Kitty so they could decorate her room by the end of the weekend, all the other girls joined in. I still had not told Kitty about the adoption process but I planned to do so as soon as I got there, I wanted to talk to Charles as well, just to have him up to date on things. Tony came up behind me with a magazine and had me choose a design for a ball return. He had been doing this all day yesterday, the idea he had for the projection room was a bowling alley. He made some calls and people hand delivered a huge stack of papers and designs. He was adding his own touch but came to me for finalizing. It was crazy but at the same time I thought it would be fun and he argued that it would raise the value of the place if I ever decided to sell… to him. I wasted time here and there, nervous to make the drive but when 2 pm hit, I shot up and got ready to go.

"Alright guys, I'm leaving. Please don't make a mess! And when I get back with her just relax and get to know her. She is 15, not 10. You don't have to be scared of her and don't make things awkward!"

Darcy put her hands on my shoulders and shook me.

"We get it! We will try our best to make her feel at home. Don't worry."

I nodded and rushed out as they laughed. I made a record at 28 minutes. Although I passed a couple of stop signs. I was in front of the mansion but it was not 3 yet so for the first time, Kitty did not run out to greet me. Instead I knocked on the door and Logan answered with his usual smirk.

"Here to pick up your munchkin?"

"You wanna test out what else I can burn off?"

I put my hand on his shoulder and slowly moved it down to hover over his chest.

"Looks like you have an impressive amount of body hair, I can take care of it for you?"

I slipped a smirk on my face to drive the point, he took a step back but didn't get mad since he saw the humor in my eyes.

"You are dangerous."

"Thank you!"

He laughed and moved out of the way so I could step in. I moved my hand to take it off of his shoulder and I felt it brush against metal. I can't say what possessed me to do it but I followed the chain and pulled out dog tags. I smiled at the sight of them, I always loved playing with the collection that Charlie had from his dad and grandfather. Holding on to them I felt a warmth spread in my chest at the memory.

"You served?"

Before I knew what was going on, his eyes rolled back in what looked like pain and he fell to his knees. I fell along with him, trying to check his vitals and looking for any kind of visible wound.

"HELP! SOMEONE HELP!"

I still felt the warmth in me and somehow I felt it connected to him, god was I burning him from the inside?! I let go of him instantly and tried to focus on cold, tried to pull away the warmth somehow. His head snapped up and his eyes met mine, they looked wild, like they didn't recognize me or they were unfocused. People started running in through the hall way and I made the mistake of turning towards them. I heard a growl leave his lips and a second later I felt a sharp pain in my stomach. Looking down I found metal claws coming out of his knuckles somehow and pushed deep into my abdomen. I heard people gasp, others yell, but my eyes did not leave his, even through the pain I felt, I was trying my hardest to suppress the fire in me begging to come out. I saw his pupils expand and retract, it felt like minutes later when his eyes focused back on me. He looked down in horror and swiftly retracted his claws. With his support gone, I fell forward into his arms as he started to hyperventilate. Black dots filled my vision, I felt wet, absentmindedly thinking it was probably the blood seeping out of me. Numbness started to take effect and everything started to fade. I felt my body being rolled? Or lifted? Something wet on my cheeks. Then nothing.

Slowly I became alert, I remembered everything and was wondering how the hell I was alive. My eyes snapped open and when I saw that I was in a lab table I jumped up furious. My first thought was that someone had taken my blood, looking down I saw a needle lying on a supply table by my head. My anger reached fever pitch and my whole body exploded in flames. Everything around me melted or turned to ash and some alarms started ringing. Good. Let them come, I would kill every single one of them. The door burst open and in came Logan, Kitty, Hank, and Charles.

"What did you do to me? You bastard promised you would not take my blood 'lines that must never be crossed'! I trusted you!"

They all had shocked looks on their faces but Kitty burst out in tears as she ran at me with open arms. I was shocked for a second, at a loss of what to do but I could not let her be burned and all my clothes were in ashes on the floor. I retracted the fire from my arms and legs but kept the rest of my body covered in flames and stepped back before she could reach me. I saw the hurt on her face but looking down at the ashes she understood. She sobbed so loud that it was heart breaking to hear but I had no idea why she was so upset.

"Honey, what's wrong?"

She looked up at my face and opened her mouth but she couldn't answer through her cries. Hank stepped forward then and looked at me in awe.

"Ms. Swan, we were not sure if you would wake up. Quite frankly, I was in the middle of telling Kitty to prepare for the worst."

He came closer and took a hold of my arm, examining it. I snatched it out of his hold and glared at the 3 men.

"What are you talking about?"

This time Charles rolled his chair forward slowly.

"Bella, please explain to us the last thing you remember. I will tell you everything but first tell us your side of this."

"I- I touched Logan, he was in pain and I tried to retract all the warmth that connected me to him, I thought I was burning his insides from the pain he was in. His eyes lost focus and next thing I knew he had.. stabbed me? With his claws. He focused his eyes on me, retracted his claws and I lost consciousness. I woke up and that is it."

They looked at me stunned. Hank let out a breath in disbelief before coming at me again.

"Ms. Swan a-"

"Bella, call me Bella."

"Bella, are you in any pain at all?"

"No. how many drugs did you give me? I didn't think they worked on me."

"Bella please focus. Can you lift your flames and show us your stomach?"

"What? Why? I heal a little faster than humans but not nearly this fast. In about a week I should be able to take out any stitches without them bleeding. Didn't the claws puncture something? They were deep in there."

I noticed Logan wince at that and thought maybe he felt bad about losing it like that. Hank seemed exasperated with me but I was not sure why.

"Please Bella, take these pants to cover your bottom, I really need to see your stomach. I did not give you any type of drugs."

"What did you do then? I am not letting you anywhere near my stomach until you tell me what happened after I passed out."

Logan bumped Hank away and reached for a tool on the nearest table. Looking me straight in the eyes he sliced his palm open, wincing at the pain he was in. Of course his whole hand started dripping blood on the damn floor but before I could ask what his problem was his whole palm closed up instantly.

"What the fuck?"

It was almost like the pack's healing but even for them if took a few hours or minutes for something minor. This was instant. The idiot plunged the carving tool into his own stomach and let out a groan but again, he lifted his shirt and it was gone.

"I heal."

"No shit."

"When I realized what I had done to you, you were bleeding out in my arms and Kitty here starts bawling. I just couldn't let you die. Not when you were about to help her be happy, not when you made me remember- anyway. I rushed you to Hank and asked him to transfer some of my blood into your system."

"You what?!"

Hank put his arms up in the universal 'calm down' gesture.

"I checked some of the mixed blood under a microscope and your blood was burning his, I think that instead of refusing it, it was actually absorbing it somehow. I did not see it for long, just long enough to make me believe that the transfusion would not work. We did not think you would wake up but now here you are, and you say you feel fine. We need to see if you at least have scars."

My shoulders dropped, I didn't know how to take this news. How did this affect me? Did it once again alter my DNA? isn't once in a lifetime enough? I had no answers to this new development but I also had no answers before so how could I even be upset? I was still just feeling emotionally stunned. Slowly I lifted my fire away from my stomach. I expected a gruesome sight of scars but it was as smooth and perfect as it was this morning. Maybe thicker or harder than human skin but still soft and silky. I ran my hand over the place where I had looked down to see it impaled, it was like I was remembering it happening in a dream, only to wake up and check that it was not real. Suddenly I did not think Logan crazy, I too wanted to grab something and cut my hand open just to see if this was a one time deal or not. So that is what I did. I went up to him and grabbed the tool, covering it in flames to 'sanitize' it before driving it into my hand. Gasps were heard all around the room but they cut off when the cut disappeared just as fast as Logan's had.

"Oh god."

We looked at each other but no one really knew what to say. Hank finally looked at me then at Logan before speaking.

"As much as I would like to ask you for a sample of blood, I know you would refuse. However, I encourage you to go home and compare your recent change to the old samples you must have taken of yourself. Perhaps if Logan is willing, he could give you a sample of his for you to compare similarities?"

Logan nodded but still looked distracted.

"How much time has passed?"

"Only about 40 minutes dear. It is part of the reason why we were so surprised that you got up so soon, I have never seen anything like it."

I released a deep breath and tried to gather my thoughts.

"So what does that mean? Am I fine enough to proceed with the day as planned? Is there anything I should know?"

"Well, yes I guess you are fine. You can go about your day as was planned but perhaps you should speak to Logan about 'side effects' none of them can be sure of course, not until you check how similar your blood work is. You will need to monitor it, we can't know if his blood will become part of you or if yours will burn it until it dissolves, in which case you would lose the healing ability. We can't be sure of anything right now honestly."

"I can come with you, to your place and give you a sample."

I nodded at that too, I would feel better knowing I could keep an eye on him and he could keep one on me. I still wanted to know what his little episode had been about earlier. Charles finally took the lead and asked Logan, Kitty, and me into his office after giving me a plastic shirt to go with the hospital style pants.

"Well, I know today has been eventful, to say the least. However, we still need to talk about the original purpose of your visit."

We all turned to look at Kitty who still had not let go of me. She had her face buried in my shoulder and although her tears had stopped, I was still worried.

"Kitty? Honey look at me?"

She looked up and her eyes filled with tears but they did not fall.

"Baby what's wrong?"

"I thought you were never going to wake up. I thought I was never going to get to talk to you anymore or see you, I just found you. You can't leave me. We haven't even lived together a day and- just the day you came to pick me up, the day I was going to start a new happy life with you, you get hurt and it was all over before it started."

She had tears running now and I couldn't hold in my own at the thought of what she must have went through for those 30 minutes. Putting both arms around her I gave her the tightest hug she could handle.

"Kitty, I am so sorry you had to think that. I can't imagine how hard that must have been but look at me. I am right here, I still want to take you home with me and have you meet my friends, they really want to meet you. Do you still want to come? I understand if you just want to put today behind you sweetie, if you want I can pick you up tomorrow?"

"NO! No please I really want to go with you today!"

"Okay, that's fine with me. I am right here and we are going to have a great weekend together okay? I can't promise that I will live forever but I can promise to always fight with everything in me to always come back to you okay? Do you believe me when I tell you that?"

She nodded shyly and gave me a soft smile before leaning on my side. I looked up and both men had smiles on their faces as they looked at her. I spoke to Charles, knowing that Kitty would be paying extra attention.

"I spoke with my lawyers on Tuesday, there are some complications but I am trying to handle them as quick as possible."

As predicted, Kitty's head snapped up to look at me.

"Complications? You can't adopt me?"

"In the state of New York, I have to be 21 to start the adoption process, there are ways around it though. Since you are already 15 and I am financially stable, it will be easy to be your guardian, they said it would take about 2 weeks for everything to be finalized, we will have to go to court but they said that they will take your preference as a major decision maker. That means that if you tell them that you want me to be your guardian then it will speed things up. Once I am your guardian then we would have to wait 5 or 6 months to start the adoption process."

She sighed but nodded.

"At least you can be my guardian. It will almost be the same right?"

"It will be exactly the same but it just won't be official on paper. Don't worry about it okay Kitty? Just let me take care of it."

She smiled and nodded.

"Do you have everything packed up that you are going to take?"

"Yes, I just need to put my pajamas in there."

"Perfect. Here are my keys. Why don't you go put your stuff in my car and we will leave soon. I just need to talk to Charles and Logan."

"Is he coming with us?"

"This weekend he is, just because of all the things we need to learn about each other but next weekend it's just you and me okay?"

"Okay."

She walked out and I turned to face Logan who still looked pensive.

"What happened?"

"I don't know."

"You have to know. One minute we were teasing and the next you are on the floor in pain."

"You made me remember things."

"What does that mean?"

"Bella, if I may answer on Logan's behalf. I see in his head how things happened and I believe I have figured it out. Answer me this; when you touched his tags, what did you feel?"

"Warmth. I don't know how to explain it, they reminded me of my childhood. My dad had his grandfathers and fathers tags, I use to read them and hold them for hours as a child while I looked through all the pictures."

"Would you say that you felt protective over them? That seeing them on Logan made you have a sort of soft spot for him?"

"In a way I guess I saw him in a different light, but that does not mean I'm going to get all cozy with him if that is what you are saying."

"What I am saying is that, for a short minute, you protected him the way that you protect Kitty when you are near her. You spoke of warmth, earlier in the lab you said that you tried to take away the warmth when you thought you were burning him. I believe that 'warmth' is your protective mind shield."

"Shield? But I have no control of it? And if I was protecting him then why did it cause him so much pain?"

Logan cleared his throat to answer

"1979 I woke up in an island, there was a man who claimed to know me and there was a body of a woman a couple feet away. I woke up with no memory of how I got there or who I was. Only my tags. I've remembered things over the years, I thought I knew most of it. When you touched me and I started feeling the pain, I was seeing images, remembering things here and there. Not enough to really make sense, but enough to know that my brain somehow blocked it and when you put that shield over my head, I was able to reach the blocked part."

"Then why did you feel pain? Memories should come naturally shouldn't they?"

Both of them shrugged, not sure what to make of this development. I was not sure on it either but I knew I would not be doing it again anytime soon, not if he lost himself and hurt me or those around him every time. We sat there thinking for about 6 minutes until Kitty knocked on the door and peeked her head in.

"I'm ready. Whenever you are just find me in the library."

"Okay, I'll be right there hun."

I turned to look at Logan

"So are you coming or not?"

"Just for tonight and tomorrow. I'll take a cab back here tomorrow night. I'll go put some things together. Meet you in the library."

"Okay."

I sighed and got up while looking at Charles.

"Well, I guess I will see you Sunday. I will call if there is any change in either of us."

"I would appreciate it, thank you Bella. Also, this morning I heard some worrying thoughts in Kitty's mind. She is nervous about breakfast."

"Breakfast? Why? Is she allergic to something?"

"No, I saw in her mind that she just does not want to bother you too early or wake up too late. Here in the school we serve breakfast from 8:30 to 10:00. I asked Storm and she said Kitty usually comes in at 9. Maybe just make her feel better by telling her what time breakfast will be? Just so she will not be nervous about messing up your sleep times."

"Oh, I never though she would think of that. Sure I will tell her 9, I always wake up at 8:30 anyway. Thank you for telling me Charles."

"It is no problem, she is just nervous about a new environment is all."

"Well we'll just have to make her feel at home then. See you Sunday night."

"See you then, Bella."

I caught up with Kitty after 10 minutes of looking for the damn library. I took so long to find it that Logan was already there with an overnight bag. I smiled at both of them and motioned with my head for them to follow me out. Kitty gave Logan the front seat and we sat awkwardly for a couple of minutes. I guess Kitty had enough and she reached forward from the back to turn on the radio.

"Missy you better plant your butt on that seat and buckle up before I burn that hand off!"

Logan chuckled as her hand flew out of sight. It was only 4:28 pm and I still could not believe how many things had happened in less than 2 hours. We drove for 37 minutes and finally pulled into the garage.

"Nice building."

"Thanks."

As we approached the elevator I opened up the security app I had created for the apartment, I wanted to add Kitty into the system but not give her a card since she could easily lose it.

"Kitty, press your thumb on this scanner here. Okay now do it again, it should open the doors this time."

Once we were inside I quickly explained how I added her fingerprint to the system.

"Its like giving me a key?"

"Yes! But the key is your thumb."

She laughed but cut off when the elevator opened up. She stepped out slowly and looked around just like every new person does.

"Wow! This place is so pretty!"

"Thanks, how about I give you a full tour after dinner? Are you hungry yet?"

"Yeah but not too much yet, I can wait."

"Good, I left everything ready before I left, I just have to throw it in the oven for 30 minutes."

I led them up to the second floor and they paused when they saw everyone sprawled out in the living room. When they spotted us they straightened out quickly and jumped up.

"Where have you been? You were suppose to be back an hour ago dude! And what are you wearing? What happened to your clothes?"

"Yeah, I had a little problem but I'll explain it later. Guys this is Kitty and Logan. Logan works at the school. Kitty, Logan, these are my friends that are staying here for a while. This is Pepper, Tony, Jane and-"

"HI! I'm Darcy. I am Bella's best friend and sister so you are like my niece!"

Darcy hugged Kitty and I could see the shock on her face, I was shocked too, I guess Darcy was really worried. When she gets nervous she gets hyper and talks fast. She finally let her go and once introductions were made and Tony sized up Logan I was able to slip into the kitchen to put turn the oven on. Jane came in a minute later with Tony.

"She is very pretty Bella. Darcy charmed her already too."

"She is isn't she? She is very smart too."

"Why is that guy here? He seems fine and all but did they not trust you to bring her on your own without supervision?"

No, it's not like that. I- I don't even know how to explain it."

Logan came into the kitchen and smirked at my look.

"Super hearing remember?"

I rolled my eyes at him but then he turned to the others and took out his claws. Jane jumped back but Tony only widened his eyes. Logan looked at me and nodded, giving me the go ahead to tell the story. I told them about the 'Shield' that Charles thought I had and how I touched his tags, about the warmth and his pain. Logan took over explaining about his claws. He was wording it in a way that wouldn't get him attacked when he told them he stabbed me. I found it funny how he was skirting around actually saying it, he must have seen the humor in my eyes because he glared at me. I decided to spit it out for him.

"Guys, he lost focus and did not know if I was the one causing him pain, he was not really even seeing me so his claws came out and he defended himself."

"He hurt you?"

"He did not mean to."

I stood next to him, to show that I was not mad and neither should they. It got the point across and they backed off a bit.

"That still does not explain why he is here though."

"I am here to give her a sample of my blood. My claws were pretty deep in her and we thought we were losing her with how bad she was bleeding out. I asked Hank, he studied medicine, to give her a blood transfusion. I heal, I thought if she had it then she had a chance of surviving. He did it and her blood was taking mine over. We didn't think it'd work but it did. She woke up less than 40 minutes later, right as rain and with my healing ability. We have to test our blood to see if this is temporary or if she is like me now."

Jane had tears in her eyes and Tony looked shocked as well as worried.

"What does that mean though? If she is like you what does that change in her? Did you give her the mutant gene then?"

"Jane, calm down, we don't know anything right now, that is why we have to test many things. let's all calm down and eat okay?"

They nodded but did not look happy about it. Jane hugged me from the side and squeezed tight.

"I can't believe that you could have so easily died just hours ago and we were here, having no idea that there was something wrong."

"Jane, I swear I am fine. At least I feel fine. I don't want to bring this up anymore in front of Kitty because she had a hard time with almost losing me too okay?"

"I understand. Oh poor girl, can you imagine what she thought, losing you before you even got to officially adopt her?"

Tony shook his head in sympathy and went with Logan back into the living room. We followed after and I was glad to see Darcy sitting at Kitty's feet asking what kind of stuff she liked watching.

"Oh have you seen Eurotrip? That is one of the funniest movies I have ever seen!"

"No, I have never even heard of it. What's it about?"

Seriously Darcy?!

"Nothing! It's about nothing. Just one of those stupid movies that don't make sense."

"What?! Bella you love that movie!"

"Darcy! Shut up! That movie is highly inappropriate for a 15 year old!"

A look of understanding came over everyone's face.

"Oh. Sorry, I forgot she was only 15, you talk like a grown up, Kat."

Kitty laughed but quickly got up while I talked to her.

"Kitty you wanna come with me to choose a room before dinner or do you want to wait until after?"

"No I can go now if you want."

Of course I started with the first floor and she fell in love with the pool, I had not tried it yet but I promised we could do it sometime this weekend. She liked the library and the labs but once she saw the observatory she quickly laid on the ground and asked me to open the roof. She stayed there for a while just looking up. I loved that about her, I do the same thing almost every night of the week but other people sit in a chair and look up. It was so strange to see someone do the same thing I did and have the same reactions.

"So that is all, have you thought about which room you would want out of all the ones I showed you?"

She got up and I followed her to the second floor to the room that was next to Jane's room.

"I like this one."

"Sure, we can take out the bunk beds and get you a nice bigger one."

"I don't mind them. I have a twin at the school anyway so I am use to it."

"Don't you want to stretch out? Plus, those bunk beds have to go anyway, there is no way you are sharing rooms with anyone."

"I guess a bigger bed does sound nice."

"What made you choose this room?"

"You can see some of times square from here."

"Oh there is a room on my floor that has a better view hun."

"I know which one you are talking about but this view has more sky to it. On New years, the fireworks would look amazing from here."

I smiled, once again blown away by her way of thinking. My hearing picked up the beep of the oven timer.

"Come on, the food is ready. let's eat and then we can switch around the bed in here. Tomorrow Pepper, Darcy, and Jane want to show you some things to help decorate the room however you like."

"Really?"

"Yeah, they were excited to meet you. Did you like them?"

"Yeah, Darcy reminds me a lot of you. Tony is funny too. I can't believe I'm staying at the same place as Tony Stark though. That is so awesome!"

"I'm glad you are getting along well with them. Come on, and don't let Tony hear you say stuff like that. It'll just inflate his head more."

We had dinner and I did not know who ate more, Logan or Tony. They ate like it was their last meal and it was ridiculous! Good thing I had started making more food since Tony had a tendency to come out at midnight to eat more. Well there weren't any leftovers for him today. Apparently the food at the school was kinda generic. By 9 I saw Kitty's eyes start to droop a little.

"Are you tired? We just switched beds with the room across the hall, we can get you a softer or firmer bed tomorrow if you want, I am not sure how you like your mattress."

"It's fine. I am a heavy sleeper, I can sleep on any surface. I guess everything that happened today is tiring me out because usually I don't go to sleep until 10."

"It's okay, come one I can show you where to get more blankets if you get cold but I already put an extra one in the closet. I put your stuff in there too."

"Closet? I didn't see that."

She walked in and it was like she was seeing the room for the first time. Last time she was so focused on the view of the glass wall that she did not see that the room was 4 times bigger than her room at the school.

"Wow! I have my own bathroom?"

"Yeah, the shower has a bathtub if you like bath's instead of showers. The closet is walk in too. I was thinking maybe we can go buy some things sometime this weekend so that you don't have to pack every Thursday."

"You don't have to buy me anything Bella. That is not why I wanted you to adopt me."

"Sweetheart I know that, trust me I do. I just want to make things easier on you. I promise I won't spend money on things that you do not need or want okay? I hated shopping when I was your age and I still do so I won't force you to spend hours at the mall."

"Oh thank god! Thank you. None of the girls understand why I don't like spending hours trying stuff on."

"I get it, trust me I do."

She laughed and took out her pajamas to change into.

"Alright, I'll let you get some privacy, how does breakfast at 9 sound? Too early?"

"No that is perfect! I eat at that time everyday."

"Sounds great! Good night Kitty. You know where to find me if you need anything at all, don't hesitate to wake me up."

"Thanks Bella. Goodnight."

I sighed actually feeling tired myself. Walking into the living room I saw that only Jane and Logan remained. He looked a little tired and I almost hit myself for forgetting to show him to a guest room!

"Logan, you want me to show you which room you can sleep in?"

"Yeah, thanks."

"No problem."

As soon as I stepped out of his room he closed the door and I heard clothes softly hitting the floor. Poor guy must have been really sleepy!

I fell into a dreamless sleep, happy to have Kitty here and nervous for the testing I would do tomorrow. I couldn't help but to hope that maybe I did get to keep the healing. Logan said he woke up about 33 years ago in 1979, Logan looked 37 at most so unless he woke up as a 4 year old then how could he not have aged? Is that one of the side effects that Hank had talked about? Again I had too many questions but maybe this time I might get answers.


	15. Chapter 15

**They call her Human Torch! Chapter 15**

**1 month later, Wednesday September 7, 2011**

It had been a month since Kitty first came over, everything was going great and she really bonded with everyone before leaving that weekend. Jane and Darcy had gone back just last week and we were sad to see them go but Kitty and I grew closer with everyone. She really enjoyed being doted on by the 3 girls while they helped her decorate her room. Pepper had to go back to LA to keep working as CEO and came once every 2 weeks to overlook the new construction of the building in New York.

Tony used his Iron Man suit to fly back and forth every 2 day's, I thought it was so funny how he would work all day in the old projection room that we started calling the lane room which was the only thing that was in there. He refused to let any contractors go in there so what would be a 2 week job was taking Tony forever! He was changing the programming to everything, messing with all the parts and making his own system. I swear that man! He was putting 4 lanes in there and adding a bar in the back of the room as well as couches. I had only gone bowling 2 times in my life and I was not great at it but now that I wouldn't stumble passed the line and slip on the lane, I was looking forward to it. He wanted to put a sign up and asked me what we should call it. I had jokingly said we were the Avengers and we should call it that, I think he took it serious though because he remained silent for the rest of the day.

Fury had spoken with me and I told him how much I wanted Tony on the team, I really felt we worked good together and I almost saw him as a brother after so many nights of helping me in the lab with Jane. Logan's blood really did change my DNA, I had a shorter temper but I was also stronger and still had the healing ability but it was much faster now, my blood now had the mutant gene and it was much stronger than his was, Charles told me that everyone had the mutant gene but it was just not active in some people. He felt that I now had Logan's gene and my own was activated as well, which would explain the 'Shield' I had going in my head and the way I could almost feel it's warmth if I focused enough. I had also taken a long time to come to terms that Logan did not age. He said he stopped when he reached his mid 30's and I had my DNA matching his very closely, we had theorized that I would stop aging as well but as of now we could not be sure when or if I already had stopped.

Tony and James had gone to the ceremony to get their medals, he said he could refuse it if it bothered me but I though it made his public image look good and Fury would feel he belonged more in the team if he took the recognition, I told him to go and he did but still he got his payback for me. He called in a favor and made Senator Stern host the ceremony, he hated Tony and was the main person behind the meeting that convinced others against a mutant getting a medal. Tony took the microphone and dedicated his medal to me in front of everyone. The look on Stern's face was priceless and once he got home I jumped in his arms and gave him a tight hug, I even dented his suit but he was not mad. We had a strange friendship going, he never liked to show emotion but then he would show random bursts of affection. Pepper told me he never had any true friends that he was close to and even growing up, his family was not very reliable outside of financial support. I dedicated myself to try and make him feel at home here after she told me that. She really did have a unique understanding and patience to him, they make the cutest couple!

"Bella!"

I turned and saw Clint and Nat coming my way.

"Hey guys what's up?"

"We were called on a mission, Fury just wants the 2 of us to go with a team."

"Oh? Why? Guys is he upset with me or something? I have noticed that he changed my schedule and only has me working here at headquarters doing paperwork and studying stuff."

Their eyes softened and Clint sat in front of me.

"Bella, he did the same thing to me when I started having kids, after he met Kitty and he understood how much of your guidance she needed, he stopped sending you on small missions and making sure you didn't work weekends when you are supposed to be with her. This was the original plan anyway. You are an Avenger remember? We can't risk losing you on a stupid mission that we can handle ourselves when we need to save you for the stuff that matters. You are a secret weapon right now and he just wants to keep it like that. Appreciate it while you can Bells, trust me."

I never thought he would care about that but I was thankful for it anyway. I smiled and nodded at them before they left. About 3 hours later Fury and Coulson walked passed the room I was in and I quickly ran out to meet them.

"Director, Coulson. Hi!"

Hi? really? They gave me questioning looks but I could see some amusement there too. Geez I was nervous.

"Um, I wanted to talk to you about something. Do you have time sometime this week?"

"If you can make it quick I have some time now."

"Great! Yeah I will be fast!"

They smirked a little (their version of a laugh) and followed me back into the room.

"So I was looking through all the files that were in here and I still have some to go but my interest was pulled to this one. This is a file on Bruce Banner. I am not sure why but, I just feel like his control must be much much harder to manage than mine, I mean I burst into flames but I still am myself you know? He has to have tight control on that because he loses himself completely, I just keep thinking over and over, maybe if I could get in his head, have a talk with him about it, he might be able to be that final piece for me. I know my control is not horrible but I am not great either. If I got very mad then I know I am capable of losing it."

He kept quiet for a moment and exchanged a glance with Phil.

"What are you asking for exactly Agent?"

"I am not sure. I want to meet him. His file says he is dangerous but being as I now have healing abilities and if things went south I could just fly up and flee immediately, I guess I am just asking if I had permission to do so, I know you guys are keeping a far away eye on him and I just wanted to run it by you and get your view of it. I feel like it could benefit me."

He looked once again at Phil before sighing and sitting on the desk that was in front of me.

"Bella, we are not ready to inform him that we know where he is. He thinks he is off the hook in isolation, surrounding himself with people who do not know who he is. Now, don't get me wrong, I too see how this can help you, but if things go south, am I willing to risk that village of innocent people? You may be able to flame on and get out on time but will they? I cannot get you transportation and give you company help to get to him."

I sighed but nodded.

"I understand. Thanks for listening anyway. See you men later then."

I turned back to keep reading through some files but Fury's voice make turn back around.

"You asked for the next 3 weeks off didn't you?"

"What? No, I didn't."

"Well its on the schedule. Do you have any plans? I heard Kolkata is... nice, this time of year."

"What? Fur-"

"See you in 3 weeks Agent Swan."

With that he left and I felt so dense. He just pulled on me what he pulled on Tony months ago. I put things away quickly and stepped out side the building, taking my shoes off before flying home. People were still getting use to seeing me in the sky but at least it was not all over the news. As soon as I got home I went to the lane room where I could hear Tony making a mess.

"Hey!"

"What are you doing home? Get out! You are not allowed to see it yet, you have to see the finished product."

"Fine fine."

I went out to the hall and he followed.

"I want to go to India."

He looked taken aback before tilting his head to the side to try to study me.

"I'm down."

"No, I want to go alone."

He sighed, as if expecting that answer. He walked towards my office and sat next to me.

"What do you need to do there?"

I turned my computer monitor towards us and googled Banner. I showed him the news articles and the videos.

"Control. I need full control. He can show me."

"Show you what Bella? How not to go about life? You are fine, you never lose it, you never burst out in flames."

"I could though. I am constantly oppressing it Tony. I know what I am going through and how it feels, I need to explore this for my own sanity. As soon as I saw his file I felt the need to find him, I just want to talk to him! I need to know how he does it."

He sighed and started rubbing his temples.

"You are going to go alone to a place you know nothing about to meet a man with the worlds worst anger issues. That sounds so much like you."

I chuckled grimly and put my arm around his shoulders while I jumped on his lap.

"I knew you would understand! Now, are you hungry?"

He instantly got up and carried me to the kitchen where he dumped me with a wide smile on his face.

"Yes! Get cookin' good lookin' I'll just watch from here"

After glaring at him and getting off the floor I turned to the stove and made him a quick pasta, adding extra garlic as payback. _You are going to fly to Pepper tonight a very very stinky man Stark!_

"So when are you leaving?"

"I am not sure. I have the next 3 weeks off. Actually I am going to fly really quick to the school and talk to Kitty about it. I don't want to ditch her for 3 whole weekends."

"Aw I can stay with her. Bond with her and show her how I work in the lab. You said she was interested in computer hacking right? I know more about that than anyone! I mean you are alright enough but I do it in seconds!"

"Jerk! I don't know, I will talk to her about it."

"See ya later then."

"Bye."

I went up to the roof and took off. Driving to the school took around 40 minutes but flying at a relaxed speed took less than 10 minutes. Once I was 20 feet from the ground I just turned off the flame and fell in a crouch. I will never tire of that.

"I will never tire of seeing that."

I laughed as I looked up to see Storm and Logan standing there. I had gotten very close to him the past month. I guess sharing DNA with someone really made them feel like family. I didn't see him as a brother or a father figure, not even as a cousin. Just a very very close friend, its as strange as it is with Tony. I guess because they are older and girls my age would not normally be friends with guys their age but I am not a typical 19 year old am I?

"Hi. Sorry to drop in so suddenly."

"No problem Bella, we are always happy to see you here."

"Thanks Storm. Is Kitty busy?"

"Not with school work. I actually think she was trying to set up a meeting to talk to us about using the danger room."

"She explained that to me last week. I must say, it sounds fascinating. Although I am not sure how I feel about her in it. I have never seen her skills."

"Well you are always welcome to it, just ask Logan or myself to teach you how to use it. As for Kitty, I am always with the students making sure they are safe and that we are not putting them in situations that they are not trained or ready for. At this time I don't know if Kitty is ready for it but that is a decision we will make as a team later on."

"Sounds good. For now I think I am going to ask her to start training with me, maybe it will help her prepare."

"She would like that and I am sure it would help her in the future."

"Yeah, well I am going to go find her, hopefully I will see you both before I go."

"Yes, please stop by my office, the science class is going on a trip, the Illinois State Academy is allowing a group of 10 students to go 2 weekends in a row and take presentations that will give them credit towards their high school diploma's. You know we teach our students a very different way but aside from our personalized classes, we do require them to take lessons for their diploma. If you can come in to fill out the paperwork then she won't have to bug you with it later."

"That sounds great! I really learned a lot from the classes I took in Arizona. Those were month long courses though. When is the trip?"

"In a week and a half."

"Really? That is perfect! I have a trip coming up and I came to talk to Kitty about that, I did not want to leave her for 3 whole weekends."

"Oh, works out then."

"Yeah. See you in a bit. I will drop by in an hour to fill everything out."

This is great! Maybe she will agree to stay with Tony just 1 weekend. I know they get along very well and although I have not even adopted her yet he really told her he was her godfather and he is protective of her.

"Bella! What are you doing here?"

I loved that she still got so happy to see me even though we had been seeing each other every weekend for a month now.

"Hey Kitty! I just wanted to talk to you about a trip that I need to take but I ran into Storm and she told me about the awesome field trip you guys are taking and the dates match my own trip."

"Really? That is perfect."

"Yeah. I am going to book a flight as soon as possible, probably sometime tomorrow or the day after, depending on what I find. Then I will miss this weekend of us together and we will both be gone the 2 weekends after that. Would you want to stay with Tony this weekend or would you want to stay here at the school?"

"Well I wouldn't want to bore him all weekend. We like spending time together but he has never spent more than 3 hours alone with me. What if he doesn't want to stay?"

"If you do not want to, it is perfectly fine but Tony wouldn't get bored with you, he is the one who offered, he said he could teach you about hacking. Like I said though, if you don't feel comfortable being in an apartment alone with a man then that is completely okay-"

"Bella! Tony is like an uncle to me. I am not scared of being alone with him at all! He is like a teddy bear."

I laughed so hard just thinking about how offended Tony would get if he heard that!

"Hey wait."

She pulled out her new iPhone that she finally let me get her and started checking the calendar on it. Oh no, she is going to figure it out.

"How can you leave tomorrow?! Your birthday is on Tuesday! You are going to spend it on a mission?"

"Kitty, like I said when I told you my birthday, I do not like to celebrate it. I could not think of anything more perfect than to spend it working."

She looked sad but nodded anyway.

"I'll tell you what, how about I look for flights on Friday instead of tomorrow and tomorrow I can pick you up as usual, we can go to that Persian place, and we can spend tomorrow together. Tony is flying out to see Pepper tonight but he will be back tomorrow night since he is expecting some part for the Bowling project."

"Really? You would push back your trip for me?"

"Of course I would! It is just one day. Plus, who knows if I will even stay the full 3 weeks."

"Okay. Thank you."

"No problem hun."

I spent a little over an hour there before saying goodbye and going off to find Storm's classroom. When a shy student finally pointed me to it, it looked more like an office with desks. I didn't chat too much with her since we did not know too much about each other. I filled out all the papers very quickly and left with out talking to Logan, I had seen him in the library but he was with Rogue and I did not want to intrude on his mentor time. He recently started letting his guard down around me and I did the same so I had gotten to see a side of him that not many saw, with Rogue he let them down a little, enough for her to catch a glimpse of the real Logan, I encouraged him to form a stronger bond with her, I knew that if he stopped being so gruff with her then he could easily see her in a paternal way. I got home and saw Tony's key's missing so I assumed he had already left. I sat down and just thought of all the great turns my life had taken, I smiled thinking of all my friends that had turned into family, even Nat showed some motherly concern or affection to me once in a while. She was a few years older but I really enjoyed my time with her, she had opened up more about her past and after seeing no judgment on my face, only pure understanding, she seemed to be more relaxed around me.

My bliss of course also came from the honesty I could share to a certain point at home. A few day's after I had called the pack last month, Sam and Billy called, they said the council had agreed to let me tell Kitty everything. I almost started crying with joy at hearing that but we still spoke for a long time about why I felt Kitty would be responsible with the tribe secret. I was right that her being a mutant was a big help, the council was understanding on why I wanted to tell her and knew that Kitty's situation was similar to that of the pack. Days passed and I hadn't built up the courage to sit her down to tell her. Billy called again wanting to know more about my situation at home and who was there. Of course he knew about Tony now and knew how much he was helping me with my new DNA, they had all been devastated when I called and told them about the new shift in my life, they hated not being able to be here for me so knowing how much Tony was helping me and how close I had gotten with him made them see 'the great Stark' in a different light than what the news showed. It was difficult sometimes when I was on the phone with them and Tony walked in, I knew both Tony and the Pack could sense my guilt. Only the pack knew why but Tony tried giving me privacy, not asking who I was talking to anymore. Billy told me then that the tribe held great respect for me and the memory of Charlie.

"_Bella, your father was my best friend. We never told him about the wolves because __there was nothing happening that effected him__ but it was never because the council didn't trust him. We trusted him and we trust you. You are in a new world that has mutants and super heroes Bella, so I give you permission to share our secret only to those you trust as much as you trust us and only to those you deem worthy. Sam as alpha has claimed you a member of his pack, that makes you a member of this tribe. I can only ask for your responsibility and your wisdom on how to use the trust we __are extending__ to you. __I can only ask that you value it and understand what this means to us.__"_

I could hardly talk from the emotion that burst forward, I wished to be nearer so I could hug each one of them. After handing up I thought long and hard about what they had said. Pepper truly was an amazing woman and I valued her as much as I value Tony but she had no need to know about the supernatural world, not because she couldn't be trusted but I knew Tony would agree that she didn't need to be burdened. I took a breath and called Tony with Kitty into the room. Pepper was not home and I was so thankful because that meant I could have Darcy and Jane there as well, for support. It had been a long long conversation and both were skeptical but finally showing them my scar from James, did they start to believe. We were in there for over 3 hours, talking about everything. They both had so many questions.

The next day I called Sam and told them about their reactions. Embry figured that if she is a mutant then she would not even be phased by them turning to wolves. He was right, she did not care about them, she did however, find the idea of vampires incredible in a scary way. I did not blame her, not after I told her what my experiences with them were like. I told them about how Kitty really did not care about it but she was afraid of ever meeting a vampire. Tony found it strange but looked at it the same way he saw mutants, he was neural about it, vampires however were a different story, he was upset at what they had done to me and how James had tortured me. He had started drawing up ideas for weapons that could hurt vampires already, preparing for battle against Victoria. I had told him that I did not expect him to fight my battle but he scoffed and said I could not change his mind. Once I explained all that to them they found it funny knowing that someone else shared their hate for vampires and that there was someone working to make things that could kill vampires. That right there sold them. I think they figured that having Tony on their side was a step forward. Everything settled and they told me that they wanted to meet Kitty soon. It was such a weight off my shoulders that I was able to keep the peace between my two groups of friends. Now just to call them and let them know I would be out of contact for my birthday.. should make for a fun conversation.


	16. Chapter 16

**They call her Human Torch! Chapter 16**

**2 Days later. Saturday September 10, 2011**

Finally after flying for hours, I was landing in Kolkata. I had picked Kitty up on Thursday and spent the day with her, the next morning Tony showed up and promised to watch her that weekend until Sunday. I flew out of New York at 2 and had a 5 hour layover at Doha International Airport, those were some of the longest hours of my life and the flights were both long at well so the time change was just an extra irritating blow, I did not get a single minute of sleep because of the grabby men that sat at both sides, I was almost shaking with how bad I wanted to burn their hands off, or better yet, their dicks off! Even thinking about it now sets me off. Kolkata was a nice enough city, not a village like Fury had said but after doing some investigating on a map of the surrounding area, I figured the secluded village just an hour away would be a place to hide from the public eye. I booked a room in the city but took my things with me. I never knew if I was going to have to make a fast retreat. I chose to run as fast as I could instead of flying, I couldn't have anyone take a picture of me or video tape me because then attention would be put in this city and Banner's location could be compromised. Even though I had been slower than the wolves, now that I knew how to use my body and how to use the flames in my muscles, I was now way faster and stronger. I was a blur if humans were to see me. I made the hour trip in 15 minutes and what I saw was like a small isolated city, a colony. It was not as poor as a village would be but there were many people in need as far as I could see. The sun would be starting to set in about an hour so I opted to find him soon, find him and then what? I don't know what I would say but finding him was the first step.

An hour later I was still just walking around. I showed his picture to people and they closed up as soon as they saw it. Were they afraid of him or were they protecting him? It was so frustrating not being able to communicate with anyone! Fury had said that as part as my training I had to learn a new language, it came in handy on missions and so far I was able to pick up on them easily. I had learned Spanish first since I knew basic words from high school and then I had worked on Italian. I was pretty fluent in it now and I had started Portuguese 2 weeks ago while still working on Italian. I would have chosen an Indian dialect if I knew it would come in handy but now I just had no idea how to tell them that I just wanted to have a friendly conversation with him. I had 5 or 10 minutes until the sun fully went down and I had to use them fast. Spotting 2 kids on their own I made sure there were no adults around before I approached them. They looked alarmed for a second but calmed down when I smiled at them. I had exchanged some money at the airport and I took out the equivalent of 5 dollars and gave it to them. I don't know if it could actually help them buy anything useful but their eyes lit up and they smiled back at me. I showed them the picture and they nodded, understanding now why I gave them money. They jumped up and had me follow them to a market. They walked to the back and it looked like a house, I could hear voices and a lot of coughs coming from the second floor, honestly I could smell sickness and I don't think it had anything to do with the extra sensitivity I had gotten from Logan. Any human could smell it. The boys pointed up and ran away quickly. They did not seem scared of being here but maybe they ran thinking I would take away the money.

Deep breaths, deep breaths. I pushed down my nerves and silently took the steps up. Instantly I spotted him with the curly frazzled hair, glasses, and casually loose button up. He had his back turned to me, leaning over a man that looked exhausted, I could only see half of his face. There were other beds around the room but only 2 of them were occupied. I saw his shoulders tense up and could see the tension running through his whole body as I cleared my throat. He spun around and as his eyes met mine, I could see slight fear but mostly anger, pure anger. I saw green swirls in his eyes for a second before he took a deep breath and visibly calmed down.

"Can I help you?"

"Yes, I am hoping you can."

He looked back to the people in the beds and sighed.

"Can we do this somewhere else?"

"I am not here to harm you or tell anyone here about who you are."

"We will do this elsewhere."

I nodded and simply turned around to go back downstairs to wait in the market looking front. I browsed the isles and found an eyeliner that was thick and looked very creamy, I remembered Pepper talking about a new trend in make up, using kohl but this was called surma kajal, it was in a beautiful gold and black case. I took one for each girl and went to the front to pay. An older woman smiled at me as she took the money and gave me a bag while she wrapped each item individually. I put them safely in my bag and went to sit in the front steps. Soon a woman came and gave me a strange look, she spoke heavily accented and broken English as she directed her gaze to me with a glare in her eyes.

"Why are you here?"

"I am just waiting for someone."

"Are you here to take our Doctor?"

"No. I just want to talk to him."

She gave me a skeptical look but seemed to brush me off before leaving to go back to the house across the street. I saw movement behind the window and saw as she peaked from behind the cloth to stare at me, not even bothering to hide it. Well fuck you too bitch! Her nerve was getting on mine and I felt the heat start shooting through my veins. Fuck Logan too for making me so damn bipolar! My control was good before but now it was like I was hanging on by a thread. I had burned some more clothes the past month and so Tony paired up with Jane and they got the formula for unstable molecules to make some more clothes and to soak all of my existing clothes, now everything was me-proof but still I didn't feel better about my control. Banner didn't keep me waiting long and soon he came out, hardly looking at me, just gesturing for me to follow him. We walked until he lead me to the edge of the colony, to a rundown hut that was isolated from anything around. Finally we were inside and he sat in a table as I sat across from him.

"Who are you?"

"My name is Bella Swan. I am an Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D."

That seemed to irritate him even more and he clenched his fists.

"I am not here on a mission or anything. There is no one with me."

"Then why are you here? And how did you find me?"

"You were never lost. I was going through some paperwork and I ran across your file, I felt the need to meet you."

"Why?"

"Is that the only question you are going to repeat?"

"Until I don't need to. Yes."

"I need to learn how you do it. How you keep control of yourself."

"Control of myself? I am not known for having control am I?"

"No, not at all. Yet here you sit, angry but controlled. If you would have lost it and hurt anyone in the past year then we would know. So I am asking how do you do it?"

"Why do you guys want to know? How will it help the Agency?"

"It won't, I already told you that I am here alone."

He didn't respond for a whole minute. He just stared and studied me. It grated on my nerves and pissed me off to no end, to have someone look at you as if I were a damn project. He quirked a brow as I clenched my fists, trying to take deep breaths. It seemed to amuse him as his lip quirked, as if he were holding back a smirk. Bastard! My veins and muscles constricted and I felt the heat coming fast. I did not look at him as I got up, knocking over the chair behind me, and stepping outside quickly. I took off my shoes 2 seconds before my body exploded in flames, releasing all the energy I had been holding in. This was my natural state, this is how I always would be if I let go and relaxed completely. I don't know how my body makes it so that I don't burst into flames while sleeping but I was thankful for it. It was instant the relief I felt now, the anger just melted away and I was able to tone down the flames after 2 minutes. I turned around and saw a serious looking Banner leaning on the open doorway, again just staring.

"Could you stop staring as if I were an experiment gone wrong!?"

He seemed to understand why I was upset and instantly looked down.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to offend you."

He was so soft spoken, he seemed so calm, it almost frustrated me that he is the one that I was expecting would lose it but I am the one that did!

"Do you understand why I want to know how you do it now?"

"I am not a good example of how to control yourself. How did that happen anyway?"

"Dr. Banner, when was the last time you saw the news?"

"Couple months."

I nodded and sighed, knowing he would not know anything. I began to tell him how it all happened, he was interested in the cosmic exposure but didn't say anything, letting me get it all out. He told me his story and we discussed the scientific theory's behind both transformations. His mind was incredible. I could not help but think that I should have asked Tony to come. Those 2 men together, their minds together, could turn the world around. We talked science until I noticed the sun come up, I thought he seemed calm before but after getting to know each other he actually relaxed, actually smiled, although that shy edge never really went away.

"I need to go check on my patients."

I nodded, not really knowing what to say. Would he even want me back? We didn't talk at all about control so I did not gain anything, was he even doing anything? If he was, would he tell me?

"Bella, I don't know what I could do for you when it comes to control, I can only try to help you and talk to you about things that have worked so far for me."

"I would appreciate it Dr. Banner. I knew to not get my hopes up on perfect control, I was just hoping to get an insight to your way of doing things."

"Just call me Bruce. How long did you plan to stay?"

"I have 3 weeks off. I have a room booked in the city but if you need anything, even if it is just help with your patients, I would gladly be at your service."

"Are you a nurse?"

"No, not at all, just thought I would offer my help."

"Well, I could use your help honestly. I have a woman that I pay to help me 3 times a week to go buy supplies but I would appreciate your help on the science side of things."

"Sure, I will help any way I can. Just tell me when, where, and how."

He laughed and led me to the market looking place again. Honestly I felt so gross from the flight and being in the same clothes since Friday morning but if he was going to try to help me then I would do the same.

**3 weeks later Thursday September 29, 2011**

As I boarded the plane to go home I felt my chest tighten. I had gotten really close to Bruce, I formed a bond that went so much deeper than I ever thought it could go. During the morning I would help him as a nurse in the little hospital they had going, I had seen him stitch people up, cure their infections, and I had even witnessed the old man that was on the bed the day I arrived, pass away. He trained and turned me into an actual nurse, although I was grateful for the distraction and happy to help people where I could, it was not my calling. Nights were spent getting to know each other, he was holding back information in fear that I would use it against him and I did the same. As the days passed however, we ended up confiding in each other about every aspect of our lives, he told me about the love of his life, Betty and I told him about my past, I let go truly and trusted him with everything I had in me. I told him about my mother, about the Cullen's, about the wolves, I relived every negative emotion I had ever experienced. I cried, I yelled, I lost control and reached a new level of heat that scared both of us from how hot it was. I lost every ounce of control I had and he encouraged it every single night. He made me realize I had been lying to myself, that I had not really accepted that the Human Torch was me, that Bella Swan was the person bursting into flames. He slapped me with my reality and I had to come to terms that I was lost with who I really was, I had to realize that I still felt like a weak little girl but instead of hiding behind vampires or wolves, I was hiding behind a fire wall and I was calling it independence.

He did the same with me, I had told him to use me and let everything out like I had been doing with him but of course he was scared, he couldn't do it and risk losing himself and attacking these people. He told me about trying to kill himself and how he transformed only to have the big guy spit the bullet out.

"_Bruce how can you help me accept that I am the flames and that I am the one that manipulates them when you can't take your own advice? It is not Bruce Banner and the Hulk. It is just one person in that body, you need to accept that, you need to let him out and keep your thoughts, keep your mind even when it is not your body."_

"_I can't Bella! I am not him."_

"_Yes you are! What are you afraid of? Is it the guilt? Can you not handle becoming one with him because then it would mean that all those lives he took and the destruction he caused would become yours?"_

I could see the anger creeping into his eyes but I also saw fear, I knew I had just hit a nerve but I had to try to keep it going just like he had done to me.

"_Come with me Bruce."_

"_What? Where? I have to check on the patients in less than 2 hours."_

"_You should be back to yourself by then."_

"_Bella, I am not doing this. You have no idea what it is like when he is out. I am serious."_

"_So am I! Have you ever chosen to let him out? Have you ever 'summoned' him yourself? No, you have not! You lose control and lose yourself with it. Or you get mad and again lose yourself. You owe it to yourself to try and keep yourself in him. I know you may not have full control but if you show him that you know me, that I don't want to hurt you, that I am your friend, then he won't hurt me"_

"_You don't know that!"_

"_Neither do you! Bruce, your life could be easier if you just had that little comfort that you could calm yourself down if you ever lost it again. Do this for yourself, do it for me, at least so I could know if I am capable of helping you."_

"_What if I kill you? What then?"_

"_I don't feel you will but if you want me to promise that I will shoot myself up into the sky and run away then I will."_

"_I will do it if you promise me one thing."_

"_Anything."_

"_If I cannot, if I lose and I get to close to anyone, even if it is a rapist or a serial killer, if I get close to anyone and I am going to hurt them. You use your fire. Don't run away, use it."_

"_I...don't think I can do what you are implying."_

"_I need that assurance, I need you to do that for me."_

"_God, Bruce. I promise I will try to stop you, but I will not try to burn you to death unless it is my last resort. I would just try picking you up and dumping you in the ocean before I try that."_

He had nodded and let me pick him up to fly to a more secluded place, though he was not happy that I was holding him bridal style. I did not worry about people seeing me since we were so far away from the city and I was just flying us farther. He had his eyes misted over and was sweating from how nervous he was. It took 20 more minutes of calming himself down enough to get a level head. He nodded and I saw the tremors start, his veins turned green and soon he was roaring in fury. He quadrupled in size and for a moment I did feel slight fear at how he towered over me panting and growling.

"_Bruce?"_

His eyes had locked on mine and I saw a tiny speck of recognition but I took a step forward and got beat down quick. His punch threw my body 10 feet away but he did not advance towards me, I took that as a good sign and sat up while rubbing my stomach. Almost all of my ribs had cracked but I could feel and hear them popping back into place.

"_I deserved that. I didn't mean to startle you big guy, I'm sorry. I am not going to hurt you, I am your friend, I have told you so much about me, remember? You remember me telling you about my baby girl Kitty? She is 15 remember? She is so smart and I showed you so many pictures of her?"_

I remembered how he had nodded, he was just mad, always mad but in control. I had laughed in relief and smiled up at him. This was not Bruce, but it was not a monster either. That is what Bruce needed to see.

"_Bella friend"_

"_I am your friend. I love talking with you."_

"_Bella nice."_

I learned very quick he was like a gigantic, angry, baby. He couldn't hold actual conversations but he understood everything going on around him, even if he did understand he was still angry, that was just how he was and getting too close or making sudden movements when his focus was on you was a very bad idea, it agitated him and made him growl louder.

"_Big guy, I loved meeting you but I need to talk to Bruce, can I have him back? I promise I will ask him when I can see you again."_

He had gotten right in my face and growled.

"_I- I know buddy, you wanna stretch out but Bruce has to go help the people in the hospital. You remember them? They need Bruce to help them."_

He looked deep into my eyes, as if looking for the truth and it confirmed that he had the temperament of a child because as soon as I smiled at him and petted his huge finger he calmed down completely and melted away slowly to reveal a very naked Bruce. He looked into my eyes then looked around and lunged himself at me, hugging me and almost in tears. He remembered some images about me saying Kitty's name. He was happy and seemed relaxed. We did that once every 2 day's and it seemed every time it was easier, he even Hulk-ed out behind his little house, so close to the people. I could tell he was proud of himself and I was proud of myself too. I felt lighter and comfortable in my own skin, even more than before Logan's DNA got in my system.

"_Thank you Bruce."_

"_No, I have to thank you. I gained much more than you did these passed 3 weeks. I am sad to see you go but I know you probably want to see Kitty already."_

"_I would love to stay more time but I do miss her."_

"_I hope I see you again Bella. I really hope I do."_

"_Maybe I could visit again some time?"_

"_You don't even have to ask. I expect it."_

We had hugged as my flight began boarding and I last minute slipped him an envelope and ran passed customs before he could think to return it. I grew to appreciate so much what he did for the people, he had supply's ready and attended anyone who needed it, not just the ones who paid. I had gone to the city and took out 1 million dollars and gave them to him. I wrote a note, telling him to use it for whatever kind of supply's they needed. I knew that if anyone one put the money in good use, it would be him.

**2 day's later. Saturday October 1, 2011**

Once again the long flights and the long layovers made the simple trip home a huge affair. I was just relived and happy to be landing in New York. I had told Kitty and Tony that I would be home by 6pm but I was 30 minutes late, passing up a cab I just got my luggage and said 'screw it' I was home and I did not need to hide in fear of people seeing me in the sky. I got in through the roof access and went to dump my things on my floor first. As I walked downstairs I heard a lot of noise and voices, too many voices.

I stood in the doorway of the first floor lounge and there had to be over 20 people in here and I knew every single one of them. Again..

"What the fuck?"

Simultaneously they all turned to me and all conversation stopped as they looked at me in surprise.

Surprise? This is my apartment! I mean the place was decorated beautifully in cream and mint green colors, and everyone had drinks in their hands but who the hell planned this? And why? They looked at each other and yelled out 'surprise!' (not in unison, mind you). Tony came up to me and hugged me.

"Since you left to India for your birthday, we decided to throw you a party for when you got home! Don't worry, no one brought any gifts."

He leaned in and whispered in my ear.

"This was Kitty's idea so turn that frown upside down!"

And turn it upside down I did, as soon as I saw her, I hugged her and thanked her for being so thoughtful.

"Kitty you said you did not like the field trip, is this party the real reason you did not return this weekend?"

"No, I really did not like it. Instead I stayed here and Tony taught me a lot about your lab."

"Well then I am happy you enjoyed it here. 'd ya miss me?"

She laughed and launched herself at me again for another hug.

"Yes I missed you! I was worried too when Tony showed me videos of who you were going to go meet. Were you in danger?"

"No sweetheart, I am fine thanks to Logan's dandy DNA."

"Glad to be of service then."

I turned and saw him standing there with a smirk on his face. He hugged me and welcomed me back, everyone took that as a starter. Person by person came to hug me and wish me a late happy birthday. Aaron, Brian, Mrs. Grimm, Jane, Darcy, Pepper, Fury, Nat, Clint, Coulson, and a few agents that I had made friends with had been the group I had heard first but once I got through them I saw Charles, Hank, Storm, and.. What?

"Paul? Leah? Kim? Jared? W- what are you doing here?!"

They got up from where they were sitting away from everyone else and hugged me hard. I hugged them back and started crying. I was happy to have them here, I never imagined all the groups of friends I had would come together like this, though it wasn't the whole pack, and it was a little strange to see but I was happy nonetheless.

"Your daughter called and invited all of us to a party for you. How could we say no?"

"Is it just you 4? I am so happy to see you and that you get to meet Kitty, I just wish everyone could come."

"Everyone wanted to come but you know the younger guys have school, so Sam and Emily have to watch over them."

"Yeah I can understand, don't know how any of the boys would find food if Em wasn't there to feed them! I'll just have to visit real soon to see everyone else."

They were interrupted from answering by Tony and Kitty coming up with suspicious smiles.

"What did you 2 do?"

"Well we made sure to tell everyone not to bring gifts because you are strange like that, but we do have one thing that we want to present you with!"

"Oh I'm nervous now."

"Shut up and pretend to be ecstatic."

Everyone laughed and followed as the dangerous pair blindfolded me and led me up the stairs.

"Oh is the lane room done?!"

I heard Tony sigh in exasperation while he dropped the blindfold.

"How the hell did you know we were leading you here?"

"Advanced senses remember?"

"Well for future reference, always suck it up and act surprised! Damn buzzkill"

I laughed and started bouncing on my toes while talking sarcastically.

"_Oh Tony! What is it?! What is it? I cannot contain my excitement! Please open the door!"_

"God Bella just shut up. I am never throwing you a party again you brat!"

I laughed as I hugged his side, I saw his smirk come back into place, he acted annoyed but he enjoyed being the one on the receiving end of sarcasm. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Leah and Paul smirk at the easy affection I shared with Tony but I also saw them size him up.

"Aw I'm just kidding Tony, you know you love me!"

He laughed but didn't say anything as they led me into the room, once he switched on the lights I had to gasp. It was nothing like what my mind conjured up, everything looked sleek and modern but with a playful edge. Instead of bright lights he had a dim black light scene going, there were LED neon lights framing everything and making it pop and the lanes had glossy black wood instead of the typical dirty looking one. What topped off the whole room for me was the sign in huge letters that went from the first lane all the way to the forth one, in sleek black letters that glowed from background lights.

"**Avenger Lanes"**

I looked in between him and Fury, hopeful that he was finally approved. Nat, Clint, Coulson, and Hill gave me knowing looks and Fury smiled as he nodded my way. The other agents and people in this room did not know about the initiative and what the sign represented or meant but I flung myself at Tony and hugged him as tight as his body could take. I was so happy that he was willing to tone down the sarcasm to be in the team, I know they were not too willing to deal with him because they did not understand the views and the zest for life that he has but once I started joking around with them and tried to make them see how laid back you have to be to understand his sarcasm, I noticed that they had much more patience with him.

"Thank you so much Tony, this room is so perfect! It is so nice and you even had customized bowling balls made!"

"Well Kitty helped a lot with the light colors, which you can change at anytime on that panel by the wall, and she helped to paint too while I did last minute bug fixes."

I went over and hugged her while I lifted her up and she giggled.

"Thank you so much baby girl!"

"I loved helping, especially since I couldn't get you a gift."

I smiled and shook my head at her way of thinking. Soon drinks were going all around and so was food while we got some games going, people were alternating between the arcade, game room, and bowling room. There was no shortage of activity's and I sat down to chat with everyone at one point or another. It was interesting to see so many people drunk, even Nat and Clint with all the other Agents, well Nat may have been acting as if the alcohol was getting to her but Clint and I knew better. Coulson was tipsy and chatting with Pepper and Darcy in the lounge while I walked Mrs. Grimm out. She had 2 hours of fun but I could see the exhaustion on her face.

"We have missed one too many lunches young lady! We better set something up soon and don't you dare show up without that angel of yours! She is a bright little lady and I have no doubt that you will both be so happy together."

My eyes filled with tears as I thanked her and hugged her. Once I put her safely in a cab I took the elevator up and was about to join the party again but was blocked by Paul.

"I am happy for you, you know?"

"Huh?"

"This life you have made for yourself? The friends in there that care so much for you? I am happy that you found it. I miss your blunt conversations with me, calling me out on my bullshit. I wish you could have felt like you belonged in La Push but that was never going to happen. You belong here."

"I miss you too. I'm so sorry that I left but I just-"

"Don't Bella. You have nothing to say sorry for, you literally have a family here, your daughter is not annoying like I thought she would be, she is a mini you and I am glad that you told her. When she met us she did not look at us differently or ask anything, she treated us like there was nothing wrong."

"She is great like that."

"Well look at you getting all proud of your cub. You are one hot mom I will give you that!"

I laughed and shook off his comment but suddenly he froze and his face broke out the widest smile I had ever seen on him.

"Bella! I just realized something!"

"What?"

"You're a milf!"

His smile turned into a salacious grin and he wrapped his arm around my waist to pull my body flush against his. I saw the teasing in his eyes but beneath that it was always a serious offer. I found myself pressing against him as well with a shy smile of my own. His teasing turned to shock and he looked at me questionably.

"Bella?"

"I don't know."

"What, did you decide you are tied of being a virgin?"

He teased a bit to cover the curiosity shining in his eyes. Am I? There's nothing wrong with being a virgin, but I have always felt like it was something that Edward held so close to himself, in a way I felt like a sick and twisted part of myself connected my virginity with him, something I tried so hard to give him, something he threw back at me almost disgusted at the thought but at the same time he valued it so much, as if it were a requirement that dictated if I were worthy of his attention or not. Because of him I felt that my virginity was not a gift that I could give someone that I loved on my wedding day, I mean why is it special? I did not save myself, I was just rejected until I gave up on giving it up. Besides, I did not see myself dating and falling in love. It was not my priority and I was not about to go looking when I had a family that took away the lonely feeling. Paul had known all of this and in his efforts to seduce me he had promised that our friendship would not change. I did not believe that, I have seen too many chick flicks about friends with benefits, but we are not even that, it would really be a one time thing. I knew I couldn't get attached to him because he would imprint one day and that made it almost perfect for me. I found myself thinking of the inner peace I felt and for the first time I actually felt I could do this. I had the control to relax enough and not burn him. I can at least try. He knows the risks right? After a minute he pushed up on my chin until my eyes met his.

"Stop the over thinking Bella. If you want to try it then what is holding you back? What are you so afraid of? Do you think maybe one day you will see him and he will judge you for it?"

No! I am not that scared little girl hiding behind things anymore. This right here is what I had talked with Bruce about over and over. Filled with determination I squared my shoulders and looked up at him before nodding. His eyes searched mine for a second before calling a cab and pushing me in it.

"W-what are you doing?"

"Going back to our hotel room."

"Hotel room? Why do you have a room?"

"We didn't know how full your apartment would be or how many rooms you actually had ready for guests so we booked rooms just in case. Now I am glad we did."

I didn't say anything as he sat me in his lap and tucked my head under his chin, my body resting against his chest. I felt relaxed and trusted him completely, though it was a bittersweet thought that I was not even nervous, did it really mean so little to me that I was not nervous about losing my virginity? Or was it that I trusted Paul so much

"Come on, we are here."

He paid the cab and took my hand as we rode the elevator up and as we walked down the hall to the room.

Once inside it started off comfortably, He slowly reached for me and kissed me until we both relaxed against each other. I let myself enjoy the moment of human contact, moaning softly as he ran his hands over my body, then slowly removing our clothes. I thought this could certainly go well once we were both naked, it was clear that although we didn't really feel romantic feelings for each other, we did have physical attraction. It had potential but well...

**30 minutes later.**

"Well.."

"I'm sorry Bells."

"No, no, it's fine, really.

I'm not sure what to call it but I think it does not qualify as sex. Definitely not sex... He of course, in Paul fashion had condoms in his wallet so once we were both undressed I watched in fascination as he rolled his condom on, I had seen naked men in movies and of course Bruce every time he transformed back, I had even seen the wolves after they shifted but I had never seen them erect. I started thinking this was most likely going to be painful because his penis was definitely larger than a tampon, not that I have gotten my period since the whole DNA shift thing. He gently laid me on the bed and tried to prepare as much as he could. It felt amazing what his fingers could do, he smirked and groaned at the sounds involuntarily coming from me, I started to think maybe it wouldn't be strange but once he actually entered me and broke through my hymen it was much worse than I imagined. I froze and tried my best to calm down and handle the heat. Flames were retained in me but my skin was releasing so much heat that even Paul with his naturally hot temperature, was sweating and panting over me. He stayed still, waiting for me to adjust but I could feel Logan's healing ability fighting to repair itself, I freaked out then and explained what was going on, he could feel it himself and though I could tell the pressure and pulsing felt good to him, he still didn't know how to go forward. I asked him to move, the pain was still there but he had to keep thrusting or my hymen would try to repair itself. It was awkward and painful and people must have realized that I was missing from the party because both of our phones kept ringing and ringing and ringing. I finally felt it stop trying to heal itself, almost like it gave up, that was interesting and something that I thought about bringing up to Logan, he was thrusting still but I was not aroused enough to lubricate properly, the pain was unyielding, the extreme heat caused the condom to break, and the irritation of our phones was pushing both of us over the edge, not of pleasure though. His shoulders were tense and he kept looking sideways to glare at the phones. We sighed when they stopped only to have them start ringing at the same time. He growled in frustration and roughly slipped out of me. We knew the moment didn't quite start but it was certainly over. And that was how we ended up here, showered, back in our clothes, and sitting side by side with our phones still ringing.

"Your first time shouldn't have been like that Bella."

"Paul, really, it's fine."

"I guess I did kind of start to see you more like family instead of just a friend. That was a little awkward. Hot, but awkward."

I nodded in agreement.

"Yeah, it felt a little wrong. Not that you are not good looking or anyth-"

"No no, I get it and yeah you are very hot and my imagination did not do your tits justice, trust me but.. yeah. That's.. embarrassing."

"Which part?"

He smirked at that but then looked away.

"Come on Bella, No guy wants sex to last only like 4 minutes and I didn't even get you to… finish. I lost my damn hard on! That shouldn't happen unless a guy is over 55!"

"Paul, that was not sex. We-.. I mean."

I couldn't help it, I burst into giggles and after a second he put his head in his hands and started laughing as well. We had a good laugh for at least 3 minutes and started another round of laughter when we realized that we laughed almost as long as the 'sex' lasted. He reached for me and I went willingly into his arms, laying on his chest as he played with my hair.

"Bella, nothing changes right? I mean I love you, I love you so much but like a friend and I am just going to pretend this did not happen. Seriously, never bring it up to me again."

"This changes nothing Paul, really. We will pretend this did not happen and still be friends."

"Good."

I went to the bathroom and cringed when I felt the soreness down there. I guess since I did not let my hymen heal itself then I would have to deal with the pain for a day or 2. I want to go home and take a warm bath. We walked out hand in hand and took the cab back to my place. There were no romantic feelings or awkward stares. Just the feeling of humor and relief. Am I still a virgin though? Medically speaking, no. Pleasurably speaking? Kinda? I snorted and shook my head. Yes, this is something that I will try not to think of ever again. Once back in the apartment everyone wondered where we were and we just said that we were chatting in the lobby. Did they all believe it? No, but they did not ask anymore questions. Leah and Jared sniffed at us, giving us knowing looks and winks until Paul pulled them aside for a minute. I don't know what he said that caused them to stop the teasing looks but I knew it wasn't the truth. Pepper and Jane rolled out a beautiful cake in the shape of a flame, we all started laughing but they announced that it was a meringue cake and it still needed to be torched. I did the honor and did a light flame over the whole cake until the tips browned up enough. The taste was delicious, I had never tried anything like it and Pepper said she flew it with her this morning from LA.

"Thank you guys so so much for coming, I really appreciate it! And thank you also for taking the time to plan it. I can only imagine how much time it took to prepare all these decorations."

Kitty looked happy but Tony looked downright proud of himself. Most of the people left after cake, including Paul, Leah, Jared and Kim. Pepper went to sleep and took Kitty with her since it was already after 1 am. Darcy, Jane, Logan, Tony, Nat, and Clint were the only ones who stayed behind. Everyone had sobered up with the cake and had stopped drinking except for Logan but he had not gotten drunk in the first place. He had told me that it took a huge amount for him to feel some of the effects. We sat in the living room and all eyes turned to me.

"So? How was the big guy?"

"He was, so different from what I was expecting. Actually it was all so different from what I expected. Oh! I got you ladies a gift but I will wait until tomorrow when Kitty and Pep are awake."

They nodded but I could tell they were not satisfied with my answer.

"What was it like though? I mean he is always angry so was he grumpy all the time or did he lose it on you?"

"What did you mean earlier when you said our DNA came in handy?"

Of course Tony and Logan were the most impatient.

"Well, first of all, no he was not grumpy. At first he was guarded because he did not know why I was there or what I wanted from him. It irritated him that I said I was an Agent but he calmed down after 2 hours of us talking about my ability. He had stared at me, trying to analyze me and I just lost it, I ran out side and burst into flames. It helped him understand that I needed control and he helped me where he could. We both learned so much about ourselves together. I won't reveal any of his secrets, I can't betray him like that but I can say that his mind is brilliant, he is so smart and I feel.. I'm not very sure how to describe it but I feel lighter, I feel like my slate was cleaned and I have a new appreciation for my ability, I feel like I can embrace it now instead of trying to repress it and be afraid of it."

Darcy, Nat, and Clint smiled at me while everyone else looked thoughtful. Jane spoke up with wonder, not upset, just curious.

"Why didn't you ever tell us that you were afraid of what you can do? We didn't know you had so many negative emotions about trying to repress it."

"Honestly, I don't think I myself realized how afraid I was about hurting someone, I of course have to repress it because my natural state is the fire, if I relax then the fire comes out so I had to learn how to relax the right way. I came to terms that it's not just fire that I make and control, the flames are not random, they mean something, they are a part of me. I control them and I manipulate them however I want them to be. Their strength, their heat level, the place they appear, it is all me and I had been letting them control me instead of taking over and basically winning the dominance. I reached a new level of heat while I was over there and I learned how to practice more often to really know what I can do."

I put my palm up and made one single drop shaped flame. It started off as hot as a candle stick but keeping it the same size I kept making the same little flame reach higher and higher temperatures. Once I was sure they all felt the heat in their face from that small flame I lowered the heat and started moving it from place to place to show how I didn't even need to move for me to be able to make the flame appear and disappear.

"I know what my next project is."

"And what is that Tony?"

"I am going to build a machine to test out how hot you can go, somewhere that can handle your heat and measure it. If it works then I can even make a nicer one, a bigger one where you can go into if you ever feel out of control or you just want to relax, you can go in there and just let go."

I smiled at idea and got exited.

"That would be great! I have a lot of space in my bedroom, maybe I could have something in there built so I can just go in and relax once in a while, to release any tension I may have and avoid it getting out of control."

"Like yoga!"

"Yeah!"

We all laughed at Darcy's easy interpretation of it. I was now in an even better mood and I bounced on the couch in excitement, bad idea because I forgot about the soreness, I tried hiding the cringe but I know Logan must have seen since he raised an eyebrow at me in question. I know he, like Jared and Leah, had sniffed me when Paul and I came back up but he didn't say aything. As embarrassing as it may be, I had to think of a way to bring it up to him. I had to make sure that the healing actually gave up and didn't heal later on once the pain goes away.


	17. Chapter 17

**They call her Human Torch! Chapter 17**

**Sunday October 2, 2011 – The next morning.**

I woke up bright and early, happy to make breakfast for everyone after 3 weeks of not cooking. I had come to terms that even if I was tired, I was the only one who could cook something edible, I always loved cooking, it made me feel like I had a big family when they all marched into the kitchen to serve their plates so I didn't mind. I had already taken out a few pans when I detected the presence of someone else in the room. Turning around I saw Kitty standing there in her pajama bottoms and hoodie, rubbing her sleepy eyes as she yawned.

"Hey baby girl, what are you doing up so early?"

"I wanted to help you make breakfast."

"Oh you don't have to."

"I know but I wanted to. Plus I kind of wanted to learn how to cook things."

"Okay, I can teach you how to cook whatever you want. How about you start by helping me make the dough for biscuits? I saw this recipe to use the dough in the waffle maker, one in the bottom, stuff it with ham, egg, and cheese, then another dough layer on top to make like a wafflewich and I want to pair it with sausage gravy."

"Mmm that sounds so good!"

I laughed and soon we started making everything, I had her making the eggs and cutting up thick pieces of ham while I cooked the bacon, made the gravy, and flattened the dough into sheets. After only 2 minutes she sighed and washed her hands before walking out. She came back with a speaker and quickly connected my phone, putting my music on shuffle. The Beatles started playing and I started singing while she danced around. Nat came over for breakfast and stared at us in amusement before Logan, Tony, Pep, and Jane came to join in on the watching. Darcy came in last and joined Kitty on the dancing until I finished making the food alone since she was having so much fun dancing with Darcy and Tony, who turned out to be a great dancer. Once the food was done I set it out in the dining room right before Clint, Leah, Kim, Jared, and Paul showed up. We ate quickly and I was glad that everyone liked the concept of the breakfast today. Tony and Pepper said their good byes before Nat and Clint went to drop them off at the airport. They were going to spend a few weeks in LA and would be back for thanksgiving next month. Jane and Darcy took a cab to the airport an hour later and Jane said she would come for thanksgiving as well, Darcy would spend it with her parents in Arizona. I planned to take Kitty, Paul, Kim, Jared, and Leah around New York before watching an early show, Kim and Kitty have always wanted to watch something on Broadway so I got last minute tickets to watch _Catch me if you can_, it was new and had good reviews so far.

"Come on guys! Let's go! Let's go! Let's GO!"

They quickly marched out towards the elevator but Logan stayed on the couch.

"Logan! Come on hurry up!"

"What? I am not going!"

"Yes you are, I got you a ticket!"

I gave him a look, daring him to fuck with me right now. He sighed but got up and followed. We had a 3 pm show and found our seats right at 2:54. I was younger than half the people in our group but I felt like a damn mother hen, trying to track all of them. Kitty was my main responsibility and she is the only one that did not give me problems! In the end even Logan had a good time and Paul just complained about a hands on man sitting next to him. We took off after buying Kitty a jacket with the show logo on the back and spent the next few hours walking around time square and exploring the shops. I dropped off Paul, Leah, and Kim at the hotel, promising I would pick them up tomorrow to take them to the airport. When it was just Logan and Kitty in the car I sighed at such a busy weekend. I remembered to talk to Logan and saw Kitty instantly fall asleep in the back seat.

"Hey Logan?"

"Are you gonna ask me about the pain I saw on your face yesterday?"

"Yeah."

"What happened?"

God my cheeks almost felt like smoking but I pushed the feeling of embarrassment down and kept a straight face.

"I.. lost my virginity, kinda. I guess, I mean it was not full fledged se-"

"I get it! Shut up and tell me the actual problem."

He had a grimace on his face and I am sure that my face mirrored his at the moment.

"Well, when my... hymen was broken, obviously it hurt but I felt it trying to heal, I panicked and told him to move so maybe the thrusting would stop the healing? It was hell for a while there but then I sort of felt the healing stop. Like it gave up or something? I just wanted to ask if you knew more about that or if it would heal later when I was not sore anymore?"

He stayed quiet for a moment before speaking.

"I can't give you a definite answer, its not like I have been stabbed in the same place over and over until my ability gave up. I don't think it would but since.. that.. barrier, is something that is naturally supposed to be broken, I think that is why it gave up. Maybe it was trying to heal because you were in pain but once it realized what was damaged, it stopped."

"That would make sense. I guess."

"Yeah, I don't have any other answer for you, sorry."

"No problem. Thanks."

"...Sooo. You did the deed with a guy that turns green? That must have been.. different."

"WHAT?! No! I didn't!"

"Hey, I'm not judging darlin'."

"No really! I didn't!"

"Oh no? Then who?"

I stayed quiet, not really wanting to answer him. Paul and I promised not to talk about it again and I knew Logan would never bring it up again but still.. I mean I guess Logan is a better confidant than Tony, Tony would never let me live it down and if he saw Paul again one day I know he would bring it up.

"Paul. Last night."

"I don't get it. You guys were only gone like 20 minutes?"

"We were gone 30 minutes. And.. we didn't really finish."

"Well he must suck then if he couldn't get you to finish, it's the least you could do for a lady."

He snorted at his own joke but turned to look at me when I kept quiet.

"There's more? What did you embarrassed yourself doing something?"

"No, I- We were frustrated by the phone ringing constantly and for me it was an overwhelming pain. We just gave up and stopped mid way. We didn't even start really. It was just.. not the best experience. We decided that we just wouldn't talk about it again."

"Hmm, well you guys were acting normal around each other today?"

"Yeah, we just laughed it off and chose to remain friends. We are very good friends, that can't change so easily."

I pulled up to the school and had to wake up Kitty so she could get to bed. I left soon after, since I had already spoken to Logan about this new thing, I pray it does not heal. I will have to invest some money into some sex toys. I just didn't want to lose my virginity to a vibrator but now that it was broken maybe getting one will help. I will have to ask Darcy about that. She had like 8 and she named all of them.

**Next morning. Monday October 3, 2011 **

I walked into headquarters this morning and was met with Coulson. Oh geez, that is never good.

"Agent Swan. I just wanted to let you know that Agent Barton and Agent Romanoff are both on missions and Director Fury will be stationed in our DC headquarters this week. Your schedule is waiting in your cubicle. Should you need anything, I am just a call away."

"Thanks."

He turned to go back to his office but paused half way and turned back around.

"Bella, I know your lunch is always taken with one of the agents but given how most of them are unavailable. Would you care to join me today?"

I gave him a small smile to hide my shock. I was not very close to Coulson because he was always so uptight and professional. I had seen a hint of playfulness with some Agents that he worked most with but we had never been alone so I had never really held an actual conversation with him, I guess this is my chance to see if we could be friends or if we would forever be just coworkers.

"Thank you, I would love to join you for lunch."

"Good then, will we meet here at 12:30?"

"Sure."

He nodded and kept walking. I went back to the file room I had been in 3 weeks ago and kept going where I had left off. I know after lunch I would be scheduled to join in at the gym to oversee the Agents in training. I was always learning their strategies and techniques for scenarios, it was all interesting to hear and I had taken a few other sessions that felt like history classes when they explained what tactics were used for different wars and missions. It was James Bond level stuff and well since we are Agents.. I guess it makes sense.

The week had gone by fast and my one lunch turned into everyday that week. I was right about Coulson, he was very playful once you got into his trust zone. He was always old fashioned and formal but once he got to know you he would let you in and get to know the real him. I picked Kitty up as usual on Thursday and invited him over on Friday for dinner. He got along with her too and by the end of the month she was calling him uncle Phil. I thought it was weird and funny as hell but he seemed to melt every time she called him that. So far Kitty seemed to have everyone she met, wrapped around her finger, all the adults at least.

**Thursday November 24, 2011**

It was 5:30 pm and I was finally finished with cooking. I have been cooking nonstop for 3 days now. People had tried to help but since Pepper was a waitress during high school, she was the only one that knew how not to get in my way. She was the only one allowed in the kitchen now. Kitty and I Invited a lot of people for Thanksgiving and they were all here chatting in the lounge while I set up the dining room. It seems that my apartment had become the place to be if you did not have family and I was completely okay with it, elated even. Clint, Darcy, and Phil had gone home to their families for the holiday's and the people that had come over were Nat, Fury, Tony, Pep, Jane, Mrs. Grimm, Logan, Charles, Storm, Hank, Jean, and Scott. I had asked the staff from the school over and they had declined at first, choosing to stay with the students who did not have a family to go home to but after talking with Kitty about it, we decided to invite the students too. There were 24 of us in total and although the dining room still did not fill up, I took away the excess chairs and set up the table with beautiful fall decorations and sets of plates that were decorated with fine gold leaves. It was beautiful and since no one was allowed in the kitchen, Kitty and Jane went to a craft store and started filling the dining hall with floating candles that they made with LED lights and string. Tony and I agreed that we would do this every year because it looked like the dining hall in Hogwarts. The food was amazing and I had to thank god for the internet! I spent over a week planning out every starter, main dishes, sides, snacks, and desserts. I of course planned to make extra food and having everyone heat it up for breakfast because I did not want to wake up to once again cook, however, so many men around the table had some silent competition on who ate the most, at least I think they did because all the 'extra' food was gone by the end of the night. We were left with all the desserts since everyone was too stuffed to even try them. The kids were very happy to take them back to the school though. Charles thanked me for giving the students a home feeling on the holiday and invited me to go over to the school for Christmas, apparently they did hold a small party for them on Christmas but I politely declined and told him I was looking forward to having my first Christmas here with Kitty. When it was time for Mrs. Grimm to go I made sure to invite her back for Christmas as well.

"Oh thank you dear, I might consider it if only for the delicious food you always present but I promised my sister I would fly out to Kansas to spend the holiday with her family. She wanted me to go for Thanksgiving and stay until the New year but that is simply too much time to be away from home."

"I understand, I hope you have a wonderful time with your family. You grew up in Kansas right?"

"Yes dear, I will make sure to bring you a jar of honey from my sister's farm. Pure organic honey, nothing like it in these parts."

I laughed and walked her down to the lobby before putting her in a cab.

**Tuesday December 27, 2011**

I had spent my Christmas surrounded by people I loved. Once again Tony and Pepper came over and Tony had declared that he would grace me with his presence every holiday, he later hugged me in private and thanked me for giving them somewhere to feel like family. Nat, Fury, Logan and Jane came over too but it felt more intimate because it was just us 8. Kitty had grown very close to all of them and I was so happy to see her bouncing in excitement by the gigantic tree that Tony bought. Everyone got her at least 2 presents and had put something in her stocking. It was a mess of wrapping paper by the end of the night and I could not have asked for something different. Tony and Jane worked together and finally came up with a design that they gifted to me, it was a glass chamber that would be installed in my bedroom. They wanted to surprise me with it so they are still not sure exactly how much heat it can take until I test it out.

This morning Tony lent us his Jet after I decided to bring Kitty to Forks. It was a decision that I did not make lightly but I wanted her to see the house we had here and a part of me really wanted to bring her to Charlie's grave. That is where we were at now and she was hugging me while I leaned on her shoulder, we had been here about 20 minutes and I still had not said a thing, I was never one to speak to him at his grave, it did not feel right to me but now more than ever I just wanted to introduce Kitty to him somehow.

"Dad, this is Kitty. I am in the process of adopting her, I know you never wanted me to have kids so young but you would be singing a different tune if you could meet her and see what a smart and wonderful kid she is."

She giggled and hugged me harder but I saw her eyes fill with tears.

"He would have loved you so much Kitty, I can't even begin to tell you what a great man he was. He protected this town as much as he could until the day he died and was very respected for it. He did not express himself vocally, he was quiet and shy when it came to talking about himself but he told me he loved me everyday in actions. He would put chains on my tires when there was ice on the roads so I could be safer, if I was sick he would stock the cabinet with every kind of medicine there was and with every flavor of cough drops he could find."

I couldn't hold my tears back anymore and we just held each other.

"I wish I could have met him. He sounds really great."

"He was."

It was 5 pm and it was getting too cold to be sitting here any longer so I nudged her and helped her get up. She hugged me once more before we left.

"Thanks for bringing me here, it means a lot that you are sharing something so personal with me."

"Of course I would. Baby girl, you are my daughter in every way that counts, if you ever want to ask me anything about myself that I haven't told you or that you want to know more about, I would love to tell you. I never want you to feel like my life is too personal to dig into okay? We are not just 2 separate people, you are not just someone that I pick up on weekends to live with me. You know that right?"

"Do- do you really see me like that?"

"Like what honey?"

"You called me your daughter. You have never done that before."

"Well I was not sure how you felt about that, I know you wanted me to adopt you but we are so close in age that I did not think, I mean you had your parents and I didn't want to assume you know?"

"You are my only parent."

I sniffed through the wave of tears that filled my eyes as I hugged her. I nodded at her and kissed her head before guiding her out of the memorial park. She stopped me in the parking lot and bit her lip, hesitating.

"Mom?"

I looked at her, not really knowing how to respond to it. I was not sure if she was testing the word out or if she was asking if the name was okay. All I knew in that moment was the I was melting just like Phil did every time she calls him uncle Phil.

"I-is that okay?"

"Of course it is baby girl. I love you so much honey. I am so glad you got lost and I found you."

She laughed and hugged me again before finally we got in the car. I was nervous about bringing her to Charlie's grave, I was not sure if there was any point but I am so happy that I did. We drove through the empty streets of Forks in a comfortable silence until we pulled up to the house. I got out and was hit by a strange scent, usually I was not good at scenting but this stood out, almost like the pack stands out to me but this was sweeter someho- I froze remembering Jacob's words from long ago

_sickeningly sweet, makes our noses burn.._

I felt out of breath, out of control. The scent was strong and I had to think there were more than 2, 3 at least. Sensing my nerves right away Kitty used her ability to walk right through the car and to my side immediately. It was taking all my will to not burst into flames and follow the scent, if it lead me to Victoria, if I had the chance to turn her to ash, this is what I have been waiting for, what I have been wanting, but I had Kitty with me and I could not be so careless and stupid. I had to put aside my needs and think rationally.

"Kitty, I detect vampires. I need you to run into the house now. And Call Sam."

"What? V-vampires? The one that killed your dad?"

"I don't know but Kitty. Please I am asking you to go into the house. I can't risk your safety. Call Sam."

"What about yours? I can't lose you! And I don't know Sam."

"Paul then. Go to the kitchen, the numbers are by the phone. Go now Kitty!

I sighed, not knowing what to do, I was not even sure if there was a scent inside the house. I couldn't know if there was someone in there. Suddenly I felt calm enough to breath and that fake sense of security was enough to make me panic and wrap that 'shield' securely around myself and trying to focus on Kitty so it would extend to her too. I heard rustling and a second later I stood protectively in front of Kitty as shadows came out of the trees.

"Bella."

There stood Jasper, flanked by Alice, Emmett, Carlisle, and 2 other red eyed vampires.


	18. Chapter 18

**They call her Human Torch! Chapter 18**

I was furious. I was confused. Of all the things that went through my head when I thought of bringing Kitty to Forks, seeing the Cullen's was not one of them. A part of me thought that maybe one day there was a possibility that I would run into them again but did I want to? No. Fuck no. Alice smiled and came forward a few steps, it took a second in my head for things to click into place and for me to realize that her arms were spreading as she came forward, as if she was going to try and hug me.

_I don't fucking think so Bitch!_

I glared at all of them as I put my arms up and let them be covered in flames. She jumped back at the same time that Jasper crouched in front of her and hissed at me. Really? Are they getting pissy with me even though they are the ones interrupting my life?! And how had the pack not caught their scents?

"What are you doing here?"

"Bella, we are not going to hurt you, you know us! Why do you have your gift on?"

"No, you won't hurt me. I would never let that happen again."

Carlisle stepped in front of them then and put his hands up in a placating motion.

"Bella, I can imagine that your feelings must have been hurt when we left Forks so suddenly. We are sorry for how it happened but we are not here to hurt you or your friend. Alice lost sight of you months ago but when she lost sight of Forks, we imagined you would be here. We just came to talk Bella, we really need to talk. Privately. We called last year when everything in the trial was going on but the pack leader, Sam, refused to give us contact information for you and we did not think it was prudent to show up in New York without speaking to you first."

Kitty freaked when he said privately, she stepped out from behind me and glared at them in anger and fear.

"No! You can't!"

"Kitty calm down. Go inside."

"Mom please! I can't leave you outnumbered with vampires!"

The Cullen's gasped in shock but I ignored them and turned to Kitty, putting my hands on her shoulders.

"Kitty you promised me that you would listen to me and do as I said if it was for your safety. I need you to stop going against me and go inside now and call Paul. I will not ask again."

Her eyes filled with tears but she nodded and turned, she used her ability and walked right through the garage door, causing the Cullen's to once again gasp. I was not happy that she showed her ability to the them but chose to talk to her about it later. I turned my glare back to them as I spoke.

"Why did you come here? Why would you come just because you thought I was going to be here?"

"We needed to talk to you."

"Yes you already said that. Why?"

"Bella, it's Victoria. We feel she may try to hurt you."

Fury. Pure, unadulterated, anger coursed through me as I chuckled at these dipshits as Tony had called them once.

"You think I don't fucking know that? She has been after me for a while, since you all left actually. What I don't get is: Why the hell are you here? You did not care enough about me when I was a defenseless human! You left me alone. Unprotected. Charlie paid the price for my mistake. You all got tired of me and left and my dad suffered because you did not think I was worth your protection! So yeah, I know she is after revenge. I don't need you here, I am taking care of this on my own. She is mine to kill. I don't need or want any of you in my life."

"It is not that simple Bella. I am sorry about Charlie, I really am. But we have lost too. She attacked while we were hunting..."

He paused, trying to collect himself after his voice cracked and his eyes filled with venom.

"Esme and Rose were alone.. she killed both of them."

I saw Emmett's face crinkle in anguish and Carlisle had his hands clenched.

"I am sorry for your loss."

Jasper stepped forward and the 2 red eyed vampires followed closely behind him.

"Bella, she has a gift of evasion. We detected 5 other scents aside from hers, I think she created newborns to help her defeat us but she found only 2 of us. Aside from Esme and Rosalie, there were 4 other piles of ash, they were no longer useful to her so she killed them. If she finds out where we are she will build an army to come for us."

"I still do not understand. Why did you come warn me?"

"Bella, we are sorry that we listened to Edward. We are sorry that we left you behind with no goodbye, we really believed that giving you a clean break would be good for you, Edward never thought that Victoria would try to avenge James and although it can't excuse what we did, you have to believe that we did not leave just because you were human or because we got tired of you. We love you and never wanted you to get hurt. We came back because we were worried about you. We have seen you on the news a lot and we are proud and impressed with everything you have become and accomplished but we still worried that Victoria would be too much to handle on your own."

"I am not alone, I teamed up with the wolves. We will take care of her."

Jasper seemed to tense up and gained a cold expression on his face.

"Bella, I know more about newborn armies than anyone else. You are stupid to believe that you and a couple of mutts can take down an army. Yes Carlisle is right, we are sorry and we do care for you very much but we have changed with this loss to our family and you have changed with your new gifts and considering that girl called you mom, you have made your own family. In the end you can hate us all you want but you need us to defeat her and we need you. This is Char and Peter, they have fought along side me in newborn wars before, I called them in to stay with us because we need numbers in case of a surprise attack and now we are here to tell you that she will bring you a shit load that you cannot handle on your own. We are willing to tolerate the mutts and work with them as a united front against a common enemy."

"When is she coming?"

Alice spoke up but had a frustrated look on her face.

"I don't know. I can't see her anymore. She must have learned more about us and our gifts or gotten along with a shield."

The red eyed vampire that Jasper called Peter spoke then too.

"There is a man that will help her build her army when the time comes but she has to prove herself to him and give him something, I don't sense anything soon, I don't know why she would wait and hide out but she is. We won't have to worry about her for a few years."

"Great. You see the future too?"

"No! I just know things."

Jasper and the one called Char sighed in exasperation.

"He refuses to admit that he has a gift but he does."

I nodded and thought about it, I feel I could take Victoria down but with an army? That would risk the lives of the wolves too much and I am not sure how big of an army we are talking here, it could be 20 or it could be 100. I would not let them back into my life, I am making a vow to myself here and now that I will never consider them family again. Jasper is right, I don't need to like them but I do need them. I could work along side them and then we would part ways when this was all over. I looked up at him and nodded.

"We do need each other. I will have boundaries set before I agree to work with you. I have no interest in talking about the past and how sorry you might be. I have a family and I do not need to add to it, we will work together when the time comes and I will agree to practice or train along with you and the wolves before the fight but never are any of you allowed to disrupt my personal life, you do not mess with my daughter in any way or form. You have no reason to be near her and no reason to give your say in my life or hers. If that is understood then I can agree to do this."

Jasper and his 2 followers agreed immediately but the rest of them looked sad and disappointed. I honest to god could not find it in me to care, the hurt that they caused was too great and now I felt nothing when it came to them, not even anger. Well, maybe a little anger.

"I will talk to the wolves tomorrow and tell them about this."

They nodded and we stood in silence for a second before Carlisle spoke again.

"Bella why does your daughter know we are vampires?"

"When I adopted her, I had to tell her everything about my life. Even the past that I am ashamed of but I knew she could be in danger one day. I told her about the wolves too."

They nodded again but I could just feel the disappointment coming off of them.

"Alice cannot see you and I cannot feel any emotions coming off you or your daughter. Is that part of your new gifts?"

"Yes. I am still working on controlling it."

"I know you told us we had to stay away from her and I promise I will but could I- could we just meet her? I just don't want her to be afraid of us."

I looked back at Alice and struggled, I did not want Kitty getting near them at all but it would help if she met them, she will have to get use to their presence if I am to fight with them. And I know I want to meet once more before we go back to New York, I want to fight with one of them and see how I do, what I need to work on when it comes to skill without my fire. Letting out a deep breath I nodded and motioned for them to follow me into the house. The living room was pretty small but I fit them all in there and went to look for Kitty. She was in my old room where I told her she could sleep, I found her on the floor hugging her knees with a worried look on her face.

"Kitty? Come on honey, calm down. I am okay."

She jumped up to hug me and asked if they were gone. I took a minute to explain everything that had happened outside and even though she had no interest in getting to know them, she was glad that I would fight Victoria with a bigger number backing me up.

"Mom, you know you could ask the X-Men for help?"

"No, I already had to talk to Charles and I do not want to drag anymore people into this."

"I understand."

I took her hand and led her downstairs, we were both tense but took deep breaths before turning the corner. Jasper's 2 friends stood by the back door and looked on in removed interest. Alice and Carlisle took a step forward and smiled at her warmly while Jasper and Emmett stood awkwardly in the middle. Alice took another step forward and extended her arm to Kitty, I don't know if she meant to hug her or just shake her hand but Kitty took a step back at the same time that I twitched my fingers and they started smoking. Alice paused and Jasper took a step in front of her. I kept my glare in place as I took Kitty hand and introduced them to her.

"Kitty, this is Jasper and Alice. Carlisle, Emmett, and those are Jasper's friends, Peter and Char? I am guessing that is short for Charlotte?"

She nodded and smiled at me and Kitty. Their red eyes were not as unsettling, maybe because they were not being sadistic assholes like James, Victoria, and Laurent.

"Guy's this is my daughter K-"

"Shadowcat. That is my nickname."

I smirked at her response, I knew almost everyone at the school had a cover name that they introduced themselves as to people they did not trust, I didn't know that Kitty had picked up on the habit though, or maybe she just never had a need to use it before now. They smiled at her and greeted her but she remained focused and cordial. She actually looked a bit like Natasha at the moment and it gave me a sense of pride to stand next to her. Jasper sighed once we were stuck in another lapse of silence and took control of the room.

"Bella, may I ask how long you are staying in Forks?"

"Until the 30th."

"I would like if we met up once or twice more, you had a good idea when you talked about training, I would like to see how compatible we are to fight side by side."

"I can agree to that."

"Then how about tomorrow?"

"I am spending the day in the reservation but we can meet in the field 2 miles behind my house at 7pm?"

They nodded and made to move out but stopped when they saw Alice turn to me. They had a concerned look on their face and I guess it it because every time she has made a move so far, I have showed aggression.

"Bella, aren't you going to ask about Edward?"

"No Alice I am not. I could care less where or how he is. You said Rosalie and Esme suffered from Victoria's attack, I am going to assume that since you did not mention Edward then he must be alive. That is all I need to know."

"You are hurt but you don't have to be! He still loves you Bella!"

"Goodbye Alice!"

She didn't take the hint quick enough and so Jasper threw her over his shoulder and dragged her out. I had to lean on the front door once I closed it because today had just been too much, I hoped it was not going to be like this every time I met up with them. Seconds after they left I heard a pounding on the floor coming from the forest. The wolves.

"Shit. Okay, let me go deal with the wolves, you go on to bed, you really need to sleep if you are going to make it out of this town with sanity intact."

She laughed but nodded as I went out the back door. I knew the pack would not be happy but they had to see logic in the plan. Now to only convince them not to attack Jasper's friends.

**Friday December 30, 2011**

Kitty and I were once again on Tony's jet on the way home after an exhausting couple of day's. The day after running into the Cullen's I hung out with the pack all day and was happy that they took to Kitty very well, Seth even tried flirting with her but she remained unfazed. The elders took interest in meeting her since she knew their tribe secret but of course she wrapped them around her finger too, they made me promise I would bring her to them more often now. They had not taken the news of the Cullens returning well but after a few hours of spewing insults at each other, both sides calmed down enough to get to work. I figured the peace could and would be kept as long as Edward didn't return as well.

I met up with the Cullen's and wolves every night after Kitty went to bed, I was tired and in need of sleep but I also felt much much better about my combat skills. Alice quickly learned to avoid me and Emmett was just too full of grief to get close to anyone, he trained and kept focused but that was all that he did, it was as if his reason to exist was gone but I guess it was, I had to wonder if this is what Victoria looked like as well? Carlisle held it in better but I could see in his eyes that he felt the same. Peter compared him to Marcus who apparently was a Volturi leader along with his 2 brothers Aro and Caius. I got along very well with Peter and Char, we were not exactly friends but we got along, fought very well together, and held a great respect for each other, I respected them both and Jasper after they told me about their time with Maria, I had good enough eyesight now to easily see their scars and even their way of fighting was so different than anything I had ever seen. I fought with the 3 of them and we trained all night, they taught me different tactics and I showed them some moves as well, Jasper and I actually became friends begrudgingly, I hated his wife and I was a threat to her so he was uneasy around me at first but once we started training it was like the 4 of us bonded together, not completely friends but we did feel like a team, I actually got the feeling of being a soldier when I was around them. Jasper ran a tight ship and we understood each other. I did find out through him that Edward was so depressed from losing Esme that he was holed up in a guest room in the Denali house. It pissed me off and I couldn't help but think of him as a pussy, it was a vulgar word that I wouldn't want to say out loud but it described him perfectly. She was Carlisle's mate and he was here trying his best to become a decent fighter to avenge her while he was in hiding. Alice and Carlisle tried one more time to convince me that he loved me and how much the whole family fought with him when he saw me on the news and wanted to come see if I was alright. I vented to Peter about it but he just veered me off the subject by telling me more about the Volturi, he talked about their members and the things they could do, I called in Jasper and Char and asked more about their guard member Demetri, he was a tracker and that held my interest.

"_If he is a tracker, all he needs is a scent right? If we manage to find Victoria's scent next time she makes rounds through here then we take it to them, he sniffs it and he can tell us where she is?"_

"_Well yeah, but Bella, we can't do that. He would never agree to it and if he did it would be in exchange of something, the Volturi are greedy, they will double cross you so fast.. Besides, Peter said she would go into hiding soon, we think she knows something or senses when it's dangerous to come, it might be her gift."_

"_I know but if we can find her before that, then she won't have an army, we can take her down easily. The Volturi will at least listen if we tell them that she will build an army and that she will threaten exposure. I would not step in there if I were human but now if they try to fight us or force us to stay there then I will just burn the place down. I can go alone actually, their gifts will not work on me but I know they will on you."_

"_ABSOLUTELY NOT! You are not going alone. If they agree, it would be a good plan, to catch her off guard. We will go with you."_

"_Jasper, as much as I appreciate it, honestly I would rather go alone than share a plane ride with Alice. I know she goes where you go and vice versa so..."_

He had sighed and fought me about it but finally agreed that Peter and Char would look better flanking me and it would give the chance that the Cullen name would be left out of the whole equation just in case things went south. We agreed that Peter and Char would meet me in New York a few days after new years, Kitty was glad about that because their dry humor grew on her, they reminded her of Logan. I made a vow to not let any vampires become family to me, I could easily keep it but I had to admit that Peter and Char could become friends to us if I let them, they would fit in perfectly with us, but I would not let that happen if they came with the Cullen baggage. Kitty was excited that they would stay with us a day or 2 before we left to Italy and another few days when we came back, she was upset that I would not let her go with me but I assured her that I would come back to her, even if I had to burn down the whole damn castle to do so.

Once we landed I held my arm tightly around her middle and took off. I had traded luggage in exchange for backpacks, it was easier and a sure way to not drop something mid air. Kitty laughed the whole time but I made sure not to go too high up so she would not feel out of breath. Once we left our things in our rooms and unpacked we decided to go to the store and buy some last minute things for tomorrow. Every one had plans or simply could not come so tomorrow would just be Kitty, Nat, and I. She did not want to intrude but I did not want her being alone either so I practically begged her to join us.

"Hey mom?"

I beamed once again, still not getting tired of her calling me mom.

"What's up?"

"I was just wondering.. just thinking about Nat and how you didn't want her to be alone so you invited her?"

"Yeah? Did you want it to just be you and I this time?"

"No, no. I am happy that she won't be alone, I was just thinking about Colossus.."

"Ooh who is that?"

"It's not like that, don't look at me like that!"

I thought it might be a crush but I actually believed her because she pulled a face that told me there was nothing romantic there.

"Okay, who is he? A student?"

"Yeah, I've told you about him before, he is the friend I have that doesn't really fit in like I didn't. He is from Russia originally, he was adopted at 4 by another Russian couple and they raised him until he was 14 but then he developed his ability and they were scared of him, it got worse and by 15 they left him at the school. They sign for his trips and send all the money he needs but now he is 17 and he has only talked on the phone with his parents since they dropped him off there. I use to hang out with him whenever there was a group activity, we are the same when it comes to being anti-social I guess."

"That's horrible, poor boy. Why didn't you ever tell me more about him? And why haven't I ever seen him or met him? I go to the school every week and the students came for thanksgiving."

She looked down and I saw a look of guilt cross her face.

"What happened with him baby girl?"

"Nothing really, but that's kinda the problem, we hung out every single day and did our homework together but then when I started talking to you he was happy for me, he almost started crying with me when I told him that you wanted to adopt me but then he got distant, I don't know what happened, we don't really talk anymore but the last couple times we did he seemed irritated every time I brought you up. I just thought he was happy for me and that is not even the problem, I mean it hurts but I hurt more knowing that he is always alone, I enjoy being alone at school but I come home to you and the rest of our family on the weekends. He only talked to me and now he doesn't even have me, h-he must be lonely and I don't know why he pushed me away. Mom he stayed at school alone for thanksgiving and I think it was just so he wouldn't be around me here."

Her shoulders started shaking as a few tears slipped down her cheeks. My own tears welled up, I hurt for her but I also hurt for this boy that I hadn't even met, if he was just like Kitty, and I took her away from him then maybe he resents me? Still he wouldn't avoid her because of me surely?

"I will talk to him on Monday night when I take you back to school okay?"

"No! Really it's fine. I'm sure he will start talking to me again eventually okay?"

"Kitty what if he is going through something that he doesn't feel comfortable talking to you about or if he needs something? Either way I want to meet him, I don't know how I could miss such a big part of your life after so many times that I have gone to the school."

She smiled up at me but I could see the nerves in them too. I felt an immediate reaction to Kitty when I first met her, I could only hope that it would go well with this kid that she is apparently very similar to.


	19. Chapter 19

**They call her Human Torch! Chapter 19**

**Monday night January 2, 2012**

Kitty and I were on our way back to the school, there was a crazy amount of traffic from all the extra tourists in the city that watched the fireworks for New Years. Natasha and I had spiked our drinks while we swam in the heated pool all day and then joined Kitty in her room at night where she was right all those months ago when she said the fireworks would look amazing. We had a quiet and simple dinner and we really bonded with her that night. As soon as we got to the school I helped Kitty take her bags up to her room, usually she only brought the basic stuff on weekends but she had packed 2 bags since she had been on break with me since a week before Christmas, then I went straight to Logan's room.

"Hey, how was your New Year?"

"Hey Bella."

He hugged me and lifted me a foot off the ground.

"It was good, boring but good. I think next year I will take you up on the invitation. How was your trip home?"

"Ugh, I ran into my ex's family, not too pleasant but I did learn a few things. Anyway I came to ask you about Colossus."

"What about 'im? He's a good kid."

"Why didn't you ever tell me that he and Kitty were close?"

"Didn't think it was important. When I first saw them together I thought they had a little crush on each other but it's nothing like that, they don't even talk much, it's like they are both so anti-social that they stuck to each other simply for the company. He is not very social but he is a fast learner and loyal person, he would give his life and die fighting to protect anyone here even though most of the students don't notice him in a room or know his name."

I sighed listening to Logan, I really need to talk to this kid.

"Why the sudden interest?"

"I had no idea who he was until a 2 days ago. How could I not know about such a close friend to my daughter? She is kinda hurt that they are not close anymore and I thought I could talk to him, meet him, see if everything is okay or if he just pushed Kitty away because he was not interested in her friendship anymore."

"I know how this is gonna end."

"What?"

"You're gonna end up taking him in too."

"Oh _haha_ Logan! I just want to talk to him."

"Sure, you just mark my words."

He motioned for me to follow him and he led me up to the second floor, opposite side of the house from Kitty's room. Once he nodded at the door he winked at me and left with a smirk on his face. _Asshole. _I took a deep breath and knocked on the door, a second later I heard a faint 'come in' from the other side. I hadn't thought of what he would look like really but when I swung the door open and saw a large metal man, well.. that was not it. When he looked into my eyes I saw recognition pass for a second before he jumped up to a sitting position on his bed and his skin slowly turned from metal to flesh. He was at least 6ft 5 or 7 inches, he had brown cropped hair and huge arms, everything about him seemed huge and muscular actually, he had the body of a 27 year old not a 17 year old but his baby face gave his young age away.

"Hi. I am Bella."

"I know who you are."

I remembered Kitty saying he was from Russia and that his adoptive parents were Russian too so it surprised me that his accent was not very strong.

"Right well, um I just wanted to meet you and I was hoping we could chat?"

He seemed wary at first but then worry clouded his features.

"Is Kitty okay?"

Oh, he was worried about her, this I could use.

"Well physically she is fine."

"What do you mean?"

"She had never told me about you, I would have come to meet you sooner if she had. 2 days ago she was feeling a little down and she finally told me about how close she was to you until she met me. Then you two seemed to have a distance, it hurts her feeling and I want to ask you why you created that space between the 2 of you?"

"I didn't, we just grew apart. It has nothing to do with you."

"Then why were you worried about her? I can see the loneliness in your eyes talking about her. She didn't send me, she actually doesn't know I was coming to talk to you right now, she thinks I am with Logan."

"Look ma'am I don't mean to be rude but I just have my reasons okay?"

"I understand that but I want to know if I can help you if you need it. If you tell me that there is no reason other than you just not wanting her friendship anymore then I will leave you alone."

He looked down and I saw a myriad of emotions cross his face. He looked vulnerable and I took it as an okay to come closer so I sat next to him on his bed. He didn't have a twin bed like Kitty did but of course he wouldn't even fit in a twin.

"Look, you don't have to lie to me, just tell me what is going on, if you don't want me to tell anyone else then I won't but you can't keep these emotions inside you, they will just hurt you in the end."

He sighed and seemed to study me for a moment.

"Did anyone ever tell you that Jean tried to take Kitty in and mentor her?"

I won't lie and say that I didn't feel a little spike in jealousy for a second before I squashed it down.

"No. What happened there?"

"Things were going pretty good, Jean had patience with her and was talking to her about the history of the school. Kitty and I don't get along very much with other students because we are introverted, we met and quickly got along, we understood each other in a way that no one else did and if there was something that we disagreed on then we would simply pass it instead of judging each other on it like most of the others would. We both just needed someone to call family because we didn't feel like the others were our family. We grew dependent on each other, I would go with her to her training with Jean and I would help her with math while she helped me in English. Jean was not really okay with Kitty always looking to me in the training, like if she was nervous or was not sure about something she would look to me for assurance or to give her the okay, Jean did not like that it felt like she was mentoring 2 instead of 1 so she slowly started lowering standards and canceling sessions until it stopped altogether, Kitty thought it was just because Jean was busy but I knew better. She gave up on Kitty because she got the impression that we were a package deal and she did not want my end of the deal. When she came home after meeting you, she was so happy and excited, I was worried when she went off with Rogue and Bobby but I thought it was good for her to try to socialize with the others. She told me about you and it was nothing like with Jean, she wanted to know you more and learn from you, I thought she just looked up to you for saving her things or she wanted to be your friend so I was happy for her and excited to meet you too, then she told me that you wanted to adopt her. I – I was.. am very happy for her, she deserves it."

"But?"

"But I could not get in the way this time. She had to learn to depend on you, not me. I couldn't ruin her chance for more by being seen as her baggage. I know she is hurt and I never meant for her to be hurt but she is happier now so it is worth the 'loneliness' that I feel."

He hung his head down as I rubbed his arm. I felt for him and I loved that he would try to protect Kitty like that but he took her choice on the matter away from her instead of talking to her about it.

"You know, when I was 17 I moved to a new town with my dad, there I met this boy that quickly became my boyfriend and even quicker he became my world, I never made close friends at the school because I was always with him. He was trouble though, he was not a mutant but he did have an ability and some of his family members did too. I was just a weak human to them then and he always reminded me of how easily they could hurt me. I ignored it because I was just too dependent on him. On my 18th birthday they did hurt me, he was strong and accidentally pushed me into a glass table, I was fine, just a few stitches but he became distant and hardly spent time with me, a few days later he came to my house to tell me that he was leaving, that I would never see him again because he was basically tired of me being such a weak human. My whole world fell apart, he was my world and I let him consume me in every way, I didn't even know what to do because I use to just follow him and whatever he wanted to do and how he wanted to do things. A few things happened that snapped me out of it but then a few day's ago I ran into some of his family members, they revealed to me that he loved me but only left to protect me, it doesn't change anything for me, I would never want to see him again but the point is, if he would have talked to me about it then things would have been much different. Do you understand why I told you that?"

"Yes but I am not all Kitty has."

"I know that, but she does not know why you just pushed aside her friendship, it hurts her but she hurts for you more, she doesn't want you to be lonely in here, she deserves for you to tell her everything you told me so she can understand."

"She will only fight me on it."

"Of course she will, as she should. She knows me and now you do too. Your excuse has run it's course and you have to make up something else because I am perfectly fine on you 2 being best friends. It's not dependency, it's friendship. I was just like that with my friend Darcy when I was in school too, we stuck out and couldn't fit in so we held on to each other as tight as we could. She is my sister in every way but blood. I have a trip that I have to make this weekend so I hope you use this week and the weekend to repair your friendship with her or at least tell her why you did what you did. I am picking her up on Wednesday to go to dinner before I leave on Thursday. I would love it if you joined us."

"Really?"

"Of course. You are her friend, you mean a lot to her and clearly she means a lot to you. What kind of person would I be if I had a problem with that? Jean was.. I don't even know what she was thinking or how she could do that to both of you, I am glad because if she hadn't then I wouldn't have Kitty as a daughter. I hope you can join us for dinner or for a weekend when I come back."

His eyes bugged out of his head when I said that.

"You would let me come with her for a weekend?!"

"Why wouldn't I? You 2 are not romantically involved right?"

Yep, he pulled the same face that Kitty did. Definitely no romance between these 2.

"No, no. I can assure you I only see her like a friend."

"Good, then you wouldn't sneak into her room at night. That is the only concern I could have but you just squashed it. Look, you don't know me so please don't block yourself or act any different around Kitty in fear of my reaction. I am not like anyone you have met, you have to be yourself and relax around me because nothing you do will make me not want Kitty. Okay?"

He hesitated for a moment as he looked for something in my eyes. Soon a small gleam of hope shown in his eyes and he gave me a shy nod.

"Okay. Thank you for seeking me out tonight Ma'am."

"No problem. And god don't call ma'am! My name is Bella. Nice to meet you by the way."

"Nice to meet you too.. Bella. Um the people here call me Colossus or Peter."

"You don't sound so sure."

"Well my full name is Piotr Rasputin. Piotr is difficult for people to remember so they just call me Peter."

"Did they ask you if they could?"

"Well no but I really don't mind."

"Would you mind if I just called you Piotr? It is a different name, one that makes you stand out from all the generic ones."

He nodded and smiled at me again. Finally I got up and extended my hand for him to shake. His big hand engulfed mine but still he gave a good strong shake.

"Have a goodnight Piotr, I really hope to see you around more often now."

"Hopefully you will."

I smiled and made my way back downstairs where Logan sat in the lounge by the front door with a smirk.

"So that went very well, should I pull out his parents number to have them sign the guardian paperwork?"

"God Logan shut up! You are a nosy bastard!"

"Hey I told you I have heightened hearing! You have it now too so you know you can hear almost every conversation in this half of the mansion."

"Yes I do know all about your hearing but guess what? I also know that we can so easily tune it out. I don't even decipher the words being said or who is saying them because I am not paying attention."

"Whatever."

"Like I said, Nosy bastard!"

He laughed and I could still hear him chuckling as I got into my car.

**Wednesday January 4, 2012**

The passed 2 day's flew by, work was too easy and Kitty had been texting me a lot, first to ask if I had talked to Piotr and then again to ask what I said. They quickly fixed their friendship and she had been texting me every 3 hours to tell me that they were planning to have lunch together or that they were doing homework together, she was happy and that made me happy. He had told her why he created space and she was angry for a moment but quickly got over it and even thanked him for caring about her like that. I was on my way now to pick her up and take her to eat, I was not sure if he would agree to come or not, I hoped he did because I knew if he meant a lot to Kitty then it would mean a lot to her if the both of us were close as well. I am nervous but I am not sure why, Peter and Char would land tonight and we were flying out tomorrow, I was actually more nervous about making conversation with Piotr than I was to face the Volturi assholes. Soon I pulled up and was relived to see that both Kitty and Piotr were sitting on the front steps. He seemed nervous too so I decided to be as open and relaxed as I could be with him, I noticed a group of kids about their age standing a few feet away from them and they were staring. God these kids were nosy. I got out of the car and Kitty jumped up to hug me with Piotr following slowly.

"Hey mom!"

I swear the group of kids all gasped and looked at her incredulously. Even Piotr looked surprised.

"Hey baby girl, ready to go?"

"Yep! We are starving!"

"Good. Hi Piotr! How have you been this week?"

He smiled at me and was about to respond while he shook my hand but I surprised him and pulled his large frame in for a hug.

"Uh g-good thanks Bella."

"Good to hear. Alright lets get going because I am pretty hungry too. You both cleared it with Charles right?"

Once they both nodded I made sure their seat belts were on and took off. Once again Kitty took control of the radio but she put some alternative music instead of her usual pop, I figured it must be for his sake.

"Hey guys does a steakhouse sound good or are you craving something else?"

"Oh I was just telling Colossus how much I was craving a baked potato! They always have those in steakhouses. Plus with how much this guy eats, a steakhouse portion should fill him up."

She was teasing him and he actually blushed a bit but when he laughed with her I was reassured that he was not too embarrassed or offended. I drove about 20 minutes until we got to the steakhouse that my phone said was closest. Once we were standing in front however, it read Brazilian Steakhouse.

"Well Kitty, I don't think you are getting your baked potato. What do you guys say, wanna try something new?"

They shrugged and so we walked in and were surprised to see that for a weekday it was pretty full. We were seated by the back wall and I was grateful for it, I was not comfortable sitting in the middle anymore, not after all the scenarios that Nat embedded in my head during training.

"Hi! My name is Rosanna, I will be your server today. Have any of you been to a Brazilian Steakhouse before?"

"No."

"Well in that case, welcome! The way we work is that there are waiters walking around as you can see with different types of meats, this tab here is green on this side and red on the other, green is to keep the meat coming and if you are done or just want a break then you can switch it over. These prongs are to grab on to the meat that they slice fresh for you, over there is a buffet set up with some sides to accompany the main courses. Any questions?"

We just shook our heads, I had never been to a place like this before. An all you can eat buffet sure but all you can eat meat buffet? We were stunned but she broke us out of it by asking what we wanted to drink. Piotr and I opted to try a Brazilian soda while Kitty stuck to her usual order of lemonade. Once we got up and filled our plates with the sides we did not have a chance to chat at all, literally as soon as we sat down men started coming every 2 minutes, the timing was exact, every 2 minutes. I would say yes to a type of meat and before I finished the small slice there was already someone else waiting for you to swallow to answer if you wanted some or not. Kitty was overwhelmed and kept saying sure because she didn't want to be rude but she was a slow eater and had a pile of meat of her plate, Piotr on the other hand inhaled his slice and impatiently waited for the next minute for the new meat to come out. I had to laugh every time that a new person walked towards us, Piotr anticipated it and Kitty gave me a look that clearly said 'help me!' an hour and a half later we finally flipped the tab to red and instantly its like a repellent, no one approached us or even came near our table. Kitty and I finished over 40 minutes ago but we waited until Piotr got his fill, boy could he eat!

"So which was your favorite?"

I had to think about Kitty's question, they had over 26 different types of meats so variety was no problem here for sure.

"I think the Parmesan crusted chicken was very good. How about you guys?"

Piotr quickly responded "Filet mignon with garlic was the best."

"Oh yes that was good! I love garlic!"

Kitty scrunched up her nose and responded "The grilled pineapple."

"What?!" We both responded at the same time but really we were confused.

"Kitty that is not a type of meat!"

"I know but all that meat was too much! The pineapple they brought out was refreshing."

Piotr scoffed and bumped his elbow with hers

"You are a strange one."

"Whatever! You are huge so of course you eat a lot and my mom can just burn half the food in her stomach to make some more fit in there so I am clearly at a disadvantage!"

We laughed but after eating and drinking so much I chose to go pee before the long ride back to the school and even longer one back home. Once I come out I met the waitress halfway and chose to just pay at the counter.

"How was it?"

"Great, we enjoyed the food and the experience."

"Perfect! Lets see, your total is 175.37."

"Excuse me?!"

"Yes ma'am, it is 50 dollars per person, 4 dollars per drink, and the 13.37 for the 8.25% tax."

Wow. Well I guess now I know why I didn't see anyone else in converse and a t shirt. I handed my card over and if I really thought about it well I could easily afford to eat here 3 times a day but just because I could doesn't mean I should. I know Mrs. Grimm had gotten use to the money we got and she spent it on whatever she wanted but I never liked to spend it, on Kitty and others sure but for myself? Not really. I went back to the table and sat while Kitty finished her lemonade. Once we were back in the car we actually were able to talk but there was no traffic so the ride was short and soon I was dropping both of them off. I got out of the car to give Kitty a proper goodbye hug but she teared up a bit.

"Mom are you sure I can't come with you?"

"No Kitty, you can't."

"Please just come back safe. Please."

"I will honey, I will be back by by Thursday, just in time to pick you up okay?"

She nodded and let go but there were still tears and worry in her eyes. Piotr was confused, he didn't know where or why I was going but I could tell he was worried about Kitty's reaction. I went up to him and hugged him while giving him a kiss on the cheek.

"You take care of my baby until I come back."

He nodded but got a serious look on his face.

"With my life. Thank you for letting me come to eat, that was the best meal I have had in years."

I nodded and smiled at both of them before getting back in the car and driving home to pack.

.

.

At 10:30 pm my phone rang.

"Hello?"

"Hey Sug, the Mrs. and I are down in the lobby."

"I will open up the elevator for you in a sec."

Soon Peter and Char where on my floor and I gave them a quick tour before chatting for a few minutes but I left them to entertain themselves, I was very tired and I knew I would not get great sleep the next few days.

**Saturday January 7, 2012**

We had spent all of Thursday and most of Friday traveling and we were now in a hotel right outside of the city, we had gone over and over a whole lot of scenarios trying to plan ahead of everything.

"Bella if Jasper was here he would immediately make them feel fear, he would intimidate them, he is known in the vampire world for being a ruthless soldier. If we are flanking you, you have to give them that vibe, don't 'please' and 'thank you' cut any positive shit in your system loose now. You go in there, you see, you concur. You make it clear that you are alpha, you can kill them before they even get a chance to move, make them understand that you have no problem doing it."

I nodded and tried getting in that head space. The closer to the castle we got and the more vampires I smelled, the easier it got. Peter and Char were good but vampires had killed my dad and many innocent people, they were enemy number 1 on my book. In the reception there was a blonde woman, clearly human so I let Peter take the lead. As soon as the woman saw his red eyes I could almost smell the fear in the air, she reached down quickly and pressed a button on the desk, seconds later the huge wooden doors were thrown open and a hooded figure appeared. _This is it._ I took a deep breath and channeled my inner Natasha. Wiping all emotion from my face, I moved forward and was flanked. The vampire glared at me in surprise but when he saw just how serious Peter and Char looked he simply turned back to me expectantly.

"I wish to speak with your kings."

He sneered at me and spoke with a heavy Italian accent.

"Is that so? What makes you think I would let you come near them? You are but a mere _human_!"

Now that infuriated me. Before he had a chance to open his mouth again I stepped forward and ripped his arm off with one hand while putting my other hand over his mouth to stifle his scream of agony. I leaned back to let him see my smirk before whispering lowly in his ear.

"Mistake number 1 cost you your arm, I have yet to decide if I should burn it or not, why don't you prove that you are slightly useful and take me to your masters?"

I saw Peter grin for a second before quickly going back to his deadly glare. The vampire still whimpering in pain nodded frantically and led us down the corridor to another set of heavy doors. He quickly opened the door and practically ran to the throne in the middle to offer his remaining hand. _Aro then_. The guards were standing on the sides, just as Carlisle said they would be, the blond man on the right throne glared at us instantly when he saw me standing there with the vampires twitching arm still in my hand, _Caius. _So that left the expressionless vampire siting on the left throne to be Marcus. In my short minute to study everyone in the room, Aro stood, now done reading the last few moments in the vampires head.

"My my, what awful welcome we have given you dear. Someone as fast and strong as you should not be kept waiting to see us. Might I inquire who you are and what your dear name is?"

His hand extended towards me and I decided to give him the benefit of the doubt. I knew he could not read me and I put on a smirk that would let him know that I knew he would not be able to. I saw the anger and the fear in his eyes. _Good, lets keep it there._

"My name is Isabella, Aro."

"Isabella, what fitting name. You seem to know more about us than you should Isabella. Clearly, human you are not so what may you pray tell, are you?"

"A little of this, little of that, some mutant thrown in and oh! Some venom was mixed in too."

Curiosity filled every ones eyes but I saw that greedy hunger that every one had told me about, take over his persona. I decided that I could play the mysterious threat later but right now I needed to get the ball rolling before they asked more about me.

"I have the knowledge that someone, a vampire, is planning to create a newborn army. Now I don't need your help to fight, I am capable enough to handle that, but we could use your tracker to point us in her direction."

Jasper was right about making hid feel pride, as soon as I asked for help he smiled wickedly in glee.

"Now why would I let you simply walk into our home and let you use someone from our guard for personal affairs?"

"Well the why is simple. There are many many reasons for you to do so. Exposure is the main cause, so many turn up missing to create the army and so many turn up dead from their feeding.. would you be alright with that? I mean mutants are free to roam the streets so perhaps it's time for Vampires is it not?"

Ooh I see that fury dancing around in his eyes. Caius jumped up and stormed towards me.

"You insolent girl, coming in here with thinly veiled threats? Do you not know how deep in the lions den you are? We are done listening to this poor excuse of a woman brother. Guards! Take her out."

2 large men moved to block the door while a 3rd moved towards me slowly and relaxed, thinking this would be easy. I grinned, making sure every one saw, and raised a circle of fire around him. Fear took over as they stepped back. I looked back over to the 'kings' and smiled as sweetly as I could.

"Did you not listen when I told you I needed no assistance to fight against an army of you? I don't like making too many threats, your friend who's arm I still hold proves that. Next time you make a move against me I will make a ring of fire around every person in here."

To further prove my point I tossed the arm into the fire that was still trapping him. Every one gasped and the owner of the arm snarled as he lunged at me, before he could land however, I turned him to ash.

"I just did you a favor, you should not have such uncontrolled vampires in your guard."

They stayed silent, just staring at me but I did see a woman with black hair creep up behind Aro and put her hand on his arm.

"Ah Renata, I have heard of you dear. The precious shield!"

In an attempt to make them fear me I ran as fast as I could, popping up behind her and dragged her away from Aro. She whimpered and struggled in my hold but the weakness behind the struggle confirmed what Jasper had theorized, without her gift she is a useless fighter, no tactic whatsoever. I sneered down at her as Aro turned in shock.

"So weak. You see I have some shield in me too and yours is defenseless against mine. Shall we see how fire affects your Master without your magic touch hm?"

She struggled to breath from the terror she was feeling and a large part of me wanted to stop but I couldn't lose focus. I needed to prove myself, I needed their fear. Snapping my head up I created a fireball and swung it around members of the guard, pausing it and propelling it towards someone, only to stop it inches away from the target. The fear radiated off of everyone and I know if Jasper would have been in here he would have trouble not letting it affect him. Peter and Char winked at me and that was the signal to stop and let him take over.

"If I were you I would give into the lady's demand. If we find the scent, and that is a big IF, will your tracker help point us in the right direction? We may not even need him so you take a great risk in denying her. Take my advice, get on her good side, agree to a favor that may not even be fulfilled, or get on her bad side and..."

The implication was left hanging clearly for all to take in. Aro was angry, that much I could tell from his posture but his eyes were full of fear, plenty of vampires had come against them but never did they make it out. He knew I would get out of here, it just depended on his move if I left ashes in my wake or not.

"In situations like these, I'm afraid I must converge with my brothers for some time and consider our options."

I smirked and I let go of Renata, dropping her to the ground. I spoke with as much glee as I could muster.

"Aro! You speak as if you had many options! However, in a show of respect, to prove that I am able of considering you my equal, I will indulge you in your request of time. After all, I have always wanted to see Italian architecture. We will be back at this same time in 3 days."

I walked back toward the middle and made a show of meeting eyes with everyone in the room before looking back to Aro.

"I will not be made a fool. I have seen and memorized every face that is in this room, if only 1 is missing in 3 day's, then I will burn this castle to the ground. Do not make the mistake of underestimating me. I have no qualms, I will burn this entire city and every vampire I encounter, just try and fuck with me."

I was satisfied with he nervously leaned away from me and turned to go without another word. Of course I just had to inflict a little more fear, using the high ceilings to my advantage, as soon as the doors closed behind the 3 of us I made a spark of fire explode in the air, not big enough for anyone to get hurt but enough to make flickers fall around like rain. I smirked and kept walking as I heard them scramble out of the fire's way. I had a good feeling about this.


	20. Chapter 20

**They call her Human Torch! Chapter 20**

**Tuesday January 10, 2012**

The past 3 day's had actually been fun, for me anyway. Peter and Char were stuck inside most of the time because of the sun but I had taken a rental car and had explored Rome, Milan, Florence, and at night I had ran to Venice. Of course I did not get to see any particular city in detail since I only had 3 days to look at the more popular attractions. We were on our way to the castle now but we were a few minutes late, hopefully it would make them anxiously wait. The minute we got to our hotel on Saturday, Peter had called Jasper and I had called Kitty, I did not tell her exactly what happened but I did want to assure her that I had been in and out without being hurt. She sounded guarded somehow but wouldn't say anything when I asked her about it. Peter urged me to hang up since Jasper wanted to talk to me, she almost sounded relived when she hung up, that definitely left me concerned. Jasper was happy after Peter and Char had shared every detail of what happened but he warned me that I had to keep that intimidating vibe every time I encountered a vampire now.

"_If you are nice and polite to a vampire and then he runs into the Volturi for some reason then Aro will read them and your intimidating act will go down the drain. Vampires= bitch Bella. Got it?"_

I had agreed and did a happy dance inside, I liked playing a bad guy. It made me feel strong, but I wouldn't want Kitty or the rest of our family to see me like that. Less than an hour later we arrived and once again took the hidden door on the side to get into the reception, gone was the human woman and in her place was a very nervous looking boy, he looked 16 or younger. As soon as we stepped foot inside he jumped up and nodded at us before leading us to the same thrown room as before. I was happy to see every vampire was present and they were all stock still and tense. Caius glared at me and almost vibrated in anger but Aro seemed controlled, I could still see fury and fear in his eyes so I was not worried. Marcus was the only one who remained expressionless, maybe a little curiosity there but not enough to show in his facial features.

"Aro, I must say, your country is beautiful. I understand why you choose to stay here. Have you come to a decision?"

I aimed for contempt but I think I put too much edge in my voice because they stayed silent and most of the guard broke eye contact with me. Peter poked my back and I knew I had to be more firm. Putting anger in my voice I spoke again.

"Well?! I do not have all day to watch you all try to piss yourselves! Have you come to a decision or not?"

For good measure I let my finger tips erupt in flames too. Their eyes widened even more in fear when they saw that the flame was not hurting my hand at all but before I could yell some more I saw Aro control himself and put a relaxed expression on his face.

"Isabella, no need to get violent this time around. I believe you have made your stance clear. We have spoken in great detail and came to agree that the risk of exposure is too great, we are after all here to deal with these type of threats, you do us a favor by committing to kill these newborns when they are created."

"I am so glad you see things my way Aro."

"Yes and as you have said, you may not require Demetri's involvement. We as a coven and as Kings to our kind, cannot simply loan out our guard, it leaves us in unfavorable standing. You understand, dear Isabella, don't you."

I knew it. Of course this fucker is putting conditions. I smiled sweetly and made my voice as high and falsely innocent as I could.

"Trust me when I say I expected no less. What can I do for the 3.. _Kings_?"

I had to hiss out that word, in no way was this pathetic bunch capable of ruling.

"If you are victorious in your battle and at any point are in need of my tracker, we will happily lend you his services, all we ask is that you take care of a little problem of ours. We have been much too busy to rectify it properly but with your assistance we feel we can finally bury it."

"What would that be?"

"The idea of the newborn army started and ended in the southern states of America, we eliminated most threats to humans however there are few leaders left standing. I believe you may know of one, seeing as she created the vampire who sired your lackeys."

Simultaneously Peter and Char lost it. Char whimpered in fear and I knew it was her biggest fear to be thrown back into Maria's compound. Peter growled in fury for being called a lackey and for the threat they hung over his mate's head. I narrowed my eyes at him until he stopped and got back in his place. I could see the glee in Aro's eyes as he witnessed the break in the order we had. It pissed me off to no end and I took a threatening step forward.

"My my, such great provision for such a simple act."

He smirked and I saw his confidence boost. I knew of all the horrible things Maria had done, torturous things. Jasper had told me that there were no other armies to fight but she still kept older vampires and newborns just in case. There was no way that I would ask them to go back to that hell but I alone could, If I flew over her compound and attacked from above then what chance did they have? It would be a surprise attack and I could turn more than half of them to ash quickly. I could make this work easily if I was alone actually, I wouldn't have to worry about hurting anyone and could just let the flames go to cover all surrounding areas.

"I need a tracker and you need someone to step in and take care of this for you since your guard is either too scared or too weak."

His fury returned but I put my hand up to silence any stupidity that was about to come out of his mouth.

"I will agree under conditions of my own."

"Conditions? You believe you are in a position to have them?"

"You expect the 3 of us to fight do you not? My counter offer does not involve them. I fight alone and you send some of your best guards to run a perimeter and stop any vampires that try to run. That is all I ask and I will not negotiate any more from there."

He seemed shocked, everyone did, even Peter and Char tensed up behind me but Aro smiled wide, probably thinking that I would not make it out alive against a whole army. He was quick to agree and came down to shake my hand. I ignored it this time around and simply nodded at him before turning to leave.

"I will send word to you if the time comes. If I am sought before that time then I will shred whoever you send. Understood?"

He merely bowed before the heavy doors once again closed behind us. The way back to the hotel was tense, I waited for them to say something but they also waited for me. We arrived and I turned to go straight to my room to begin packing for the flight home. I sensed them stop in front of their door and could feel their eyes on me but I just opened my own door and shut it behind me. I don't know if they thought me stupid for accepting to fight an army on my own, I guess it did sound strange, but they had become more than just acquaintances now, the way they always tried to prepare me or train me, to always try to help had made me care for them quickly, I knew a part of me considered them almost family already but I was not ready to admit that to myself yet. I could hear their voices in their room and a lower third one that had to be Jasper on the phone, I knew he would really freak out. Peter and Char had promised to act like they followed me and so they treated me just like they would treat Jasper but now that this was over, I'm sure they would freely give their opinions again. An hour later the voices stopped and I tried my best to tune them out so I only heard bits and pieces when my name was said, I did not know what type of mood they were in, I though maybe they might come to my room to talk but when they didn't I just finished packing and took the time to go drop off the rental car. When I came back I got my bags and went to check out while texting them that I would wait in the lobby. I still could not get a good read on their faces and they still didn't say anything so I silently made my way out to catch cab and waited for them to put their bags in the back before climbing in. I was glad that I was fluent enough to ask the driver to go to the airport and that I didn't have to make hand signals like I did in India. Honestly the silence was starting to affect me, what did they want me to say? Why would they be angry anyway? Or even shocked? I didn't know what I could say at this point so I was anxious to get on the damn plane and sleep. I took the time in the cab to send a group text to the pack and tell them about what had happened. They had found it hilarious when I first called and told them about the first meeting.

We checked in quickly and I went to our terminal to sit and wait while the boarding started. They sat next to me and still stared ahead blankly. Honestly I wanted to scoff but instead got up to go find somewhere to get food, as soon as I was walking away I felt steel arms wrap around me, I scented Charlotte's perfume and fought the heat that had started rising in me, I turned towards her confused but she just hugged me again and buried her head in the crook of my neck.

"Thank you."

She started shaking and her eyes filled with venom but I was still confused until Peter came and pried her off me. Char looked up at me from his arms and started hiccuping while talking.

"You knew w-we didn't want to- that I wouldn't go back there to her. You offered yourself up and- just so I wouldn't have to, so we didn't have to. You can't fight alone. We will figure something out b-but"

Peter shushed her and patted her back to calm her while he looked up at me with soft eyes.

"Sug what she means is that we are very thankful, we won't let you do that suicide mission alone but the fact that you put yourself in that position because you knew how we all ran to get away from there, it means a lot Bella. It really floored us that you would take us into consideration like that even though we don't know each other very well. We considered you a friend with how close we got in Forks but now we consider you family and I know it meant a lot to the Major too. We just wanted you to know that."

Charlotte nodded and gave me a small smile, although I could still see some fear in her eyes for what she knew was coming.

"Guy's, we still need to work through some things, we still need to talk about what happened and I already have a tactic that I think will work but we have a lot of time okay? Lets just relax for now and get home in one piece. You guys don't have to thank me, I owe you one for helping me train and become a better fighter, after every story you have told me about her, how could I ask you to go back for me when this whole Victoria thing is because of me too?"

"It's not! This is all that little asswipe's fault!"

I shrugged, not wanting to defend Edward because well yeah I could so easily blame him but this whole thing was simply to get to me too so I had to take some responsibility. I sighed and went to get my food. The flight was much calmer now that we were relaxed and they had showed me where they stood. I was relived that they were not really upset but I dreaded to think of what Tony or Kitty would say, or even Darcy and Jane. Paul and the rest of the pack would be angry enough when the time came to tell them what I had agreed to, for now though I didn't want to worry them with this information. Tony had been all for fighting and although he had made prototypes for some really awesome vampire weapons, I planned to keep him out of the loop on some things as well. I was happy that I could be open and I could tell them about all this but no way would I let any of them fight with me. I refused to taint them with my past.

**Thursday January 12, 2012**

I was on my way home with Kitty, Piotr, and strangely Logan. We had spent Tuesday and Wednesday on the plane so when we got back to New York late last night I went straight to bed without calling anyone to tell them I was home. Today I got up early and told Peter and Char that I was picking Kitty up to bring her home like I do every weekend but when I got to the school she jumped up in surprise to see me. I knew on the phone in Italy that there was something wrong and seeing how nervous she was, how she wouldn't look me in the eye, and how just guilty she seemed, I knew something was wrong. I had asked her but she avoided the subject and ran up to pack after begging Piotr to take my invitation of coming with us this weekend. That alone was strange but then Logan comes downstairs with a bag, looking at me strangely and saying that he was coming this weekend too. It was all too much and no matter how many questions I asked I was blown off by everyone. Once we got home Logan took his things to his usual room and Kitty took Piotr to choose a room. Peter and Char tried to introduce themselves but the 3 of them kept walking away.

"I have no idea what is up with them, they are never rude like that and she has never gotten so nervous since I met her. Just last week she was excited to see you both and she really wanted you to meet Logan."

I said it out loud as an explanation but I was mostly asking myself what the fuck I came home to? Tony was going to come later on time for dinner, Pepper had a busy schedule this week so I was sad to not see her but also glad that I was going to be able to speak with him about Italy, I knew that was his real reason for coming a whole day early. I turned to face them but Char was just looking and waiting for Peter, he had a pensive look on his face and I had learned that this meant he was getting information with his 'non-gift'. He snapped out of it and turned to me.

"You are going to have to tell your visitors about us."

"What? You mean Logan and Piotr? No Peter, I said I would not drag any more people into this."

"They know something, that is why they are acting strange, they already know information but I can't figure out what it is."

"What? How did they learn anything? Kitty wouldn't say anything without good reason. How much do they know?"

He rolled his eyes and scoffed.

"That is not how it works! I don't know."

I sighed but knew better than to push him for more. I didn't like this though. Wasn't I set hard enough on me keeping my family out of my past?

"Peter, Aro said that Maria was one of the last warlords. What does that mean?"

"She is the last leader that actually has a full blown army to defend her territory, the rest of the people that lead armies are dead, alone, or lead small covens, no armies though."

"Victoria is going to someone that will help her build an army, it must be someone who has experience right? I don't think Maria is the only one left, that's impossible."

They shrugged but I could see the wheels in their heads turning. Peter went with Char up to the conference room to call Jasper, I had recently made that room as sound proof as possible so even with the heightened hearing Logan had, it still sounded muffled. Thinking of him I decided to go gather the 3 rude little fuckers. I was mad but I wouldn't show it until they explained themselves, and they _would_ explain themselves. No, I would calm down first and cook. Yep, that is what I would do, I was going to have Piotr, Tony, and Logan all eating so I had a lot of food to prep anyway.

**2 hours later.**

Tony had just arrived and after hugging me he was polite, unlike my other guests, and introduced himself. He did nothing to hide his interest in their red eyes though, in typical Tony fashion, he was intrusive bordering on rude but Peter was just like that too so they got along and were soon playing pool in the game room. When Logan finally came out of his room he avoided me and went straight to the game room to introduce himself as well and join them in pool. I was glad to see them all getting along but every few minutes Logan would look at Peter and I knew he had to know. How? I don't know, but he does.

"Alright everyone! Dinner is ready!" I screamed into the intercom.

Soon everyone ran into the dining room and served their plates, Char and Peter used the excuse that they had already eaten for Piotr and Logan's sake but they certainly didn't believe it, they did however, stare into their eyes for a long time. Peter and Char put on contact as soon as they heard Logan coming out of his room but I could tell they were not fooled. Everyone was eating in an awkward silence but Kitty was just picking at her food, Tony reached his peak and went off.

"Alright what's up? Everyone is on edge and it's not letting me savor this delicious food. Stop and explain or just stop. Anyone?"

I smiled at him but frowned when I saw Kitty's hands begin to tremble and her cheeks get red.

"Kitty?"

She seemed to tremble more under the attention she was getting and I quickly got up and went to kneel in front of her, trying to meet her eyes but she kept avoiding mine.

"Kitty talk to me honey, did something happen to you? Did some one hurt you?"

I didn't know what was going on but I felt myself start to panic at feeling helpless, she started crying, as if my concern made her feel worse. I looked to Piotr and Logan lost.

"What is going on? You have all been acting strange since I got back."

Logan sighed and turned to look at Kitty, waiting for her for something. I felt the anger bubble up again at not being able to help Kitty, I mean she felt worse when I expressed my concern, if I can't do that then what can I do? I glared at the 2 boy's.

"Tell me what happened _now_!"

Piotr looked at Kitty nervously and stretched out his hand to pat her back. She took a shuddering breath and visibly calmed down before looking up at me, her eyes were full of guilt and she was sobbing out rushed words.

"M-mom, I didn't plan to, I swear! You left and I was so worried and Colossus is my best friend, he was worried for the 2 of us but he didn't understand why you leaving was such a big deal to m-me! I trust him so much and I can't hide anything from him and I didn't really think ahead to what I was doing. I-I just t-told him everything! Oh god I'm so s-sorry! I know you told them they could trust me and I did what they thought I would and what you said I wouldn't- you told them I was responsible! You put your name on the line and I- mom I'm so sorry!"

She dissolved into tears and fell off the seat into my arms, they wrapped around her automatically as I leaned against the wall and rocked her.

"Mom? I'm so sorry."

"Shh, it's okay, everything will be fine. There's no need to panic okay Kitty? Take a deep breath and calm down for me. Let's start at the beginning, what does Logan have to do with this?"

They seemed shocked that I was not dwelling on this, I would do it on my own time, probably after figuring out what to tell the pack. Logan they knew I trusted with everything I had but one of Kitty's friends? How would I explain that? I looked to Logan when Kitty didn't answer.

"Did she tell you?"

"I heard them. They didn't know I was close enough and when I found out where you were and why, I went to them and told them I heard everything, that is when she started freaking out."

I nodded and turned to Peter and Char.

"Meet me in the conference room please."

They blurred and were gone before anyone could blink. I saw Tony pick up his plate and follow after them with an incredulous expression on his face, muttering about freaky speed.

"Logan, please just watch them while we figure out what to do next."

"Bella, I've been alive a while, if you think I've never ran into a vampire before you are very wrong. My claws can go right through the suckers by the way. Didn't know you had history with them though."

I felt my eyes widen before nodding and motioning for him to follow.

I was in my office and I saw it was almost 7, I had talked to Peter, Char, Tony, and Logan, we had agreed that if the wolves had a problem with him knowing, which I really did not think they would, we could say that Logan brought up vampires to me after seeing Peter and Char in the apartment.

"So tell them I am training Piotr and think his metal ability can damage vampire skin. You just so happen to let him know that you know about vampires too. Once they are on board with that then the rest will follow, they don't need to know that he knows about shifting wolves yet."

"It just feels wrong to hide it from them but yes I would rather wait a minute or tell them in person. It really shouldn't be a problem but I do need to speak to Kitty about this, it's still a break of a promise."

Once Peter, Char, and Logan, left I leaned back on the chair and let out a deep breath. Tony snorted and rolled his eyes. I sighed and went to him while he patted the spot next to him on the couch. He always sat by the glass wall looking over the city, claimed it was relaxing.

"It's been a long night for you hasn't it?"

"God yes. Long week actually."

"You know, I just wish there was footage of you ripping someone's arm off. I feel like I might get a little turned on, a little nausea on the side, and freaked out all at once."

I smiled at him, glad he could help relieve some tension I had about tonight.

"I am not sure why this is such an issue, for you or for them. It's just another form of mutation, that's how we all see it. I get they don't want their tribe or random people to know but your friends? It's not like it's a big deal."

I raised my eyebrow and giggled a bit. Tony never ranted, it was strange really.

"It does annoy me that I have to keep this from Pep. I told her about the Avenger initiative, now THAT is a secret. Little boys who turn into dogs? Not on my agenda surprisingly."

I laughed harder and pouted his way.

"Aww Tony I'm sorry. Look, I am not going to tell you to tell her."

"But?"

"Hm? But what? What are you talking about?"

"Oh I see what you are doing. Turning your head?"

"Turning my head to what? I have no clue what you are going on and on about."

He laughed and pulled me to him, giving me a half hug.

"You're right. I'll tell her Monday morning."

"TONY! You're not supposed to make it so hard!"

He must be in a good mood tonight because he actually laughed again. I sighed and decided to spill the last bit of information that had me feeling guilty.

"Tony, I told Bruce everything. I can't get mad or judge any of you for telling anyone because I told Bruce every aspect and detail of my life when I was over there, it helped to take it all out and work everything out with him but I haven't told the pack about Bruce."

"Well, I'm not too surprised. I am a little Jealous though. I already have to compete with Logan to be the man of the house, now Hulk?"

I giggled and pushed him away from me.

"Please Tony! Everyone knows that I am the head of the house and Pepper is next in line so the only competition you 2 have going is who can eat the most?"

"Trust me, that is not a competition, we just love your food! Now come on, I know where we can see a much better view from. But first, go talk to my little kitten, she feels terrible and apparently its for no good reason!"

I took his outstretched hand and went straight to Kitty's room. Now I felt guilty for letting her feel bad for so long. I should have cleared the air with her first. I knocked on her door and was surprised to see that she was alone, I thought Piotr would be in here with her but tuning my hearing, I heard him chatting with Logan and Peter.

"Kitty?"

She looked up at me with red and swollen eyes that filled back up with tears when she saw me.

"Mom, I'm so sorry! I kn-"

"Stop Kitty, it's okay honey. Look I am sorry for not clearing this up with you before leaving to meet up with everyone else, I just needed to come up with a reason for why Piotr would know. Logan suggested a plan and that's what we'll go with."

She listened attentively as I told her basically the same things I had just told Tony, she was very understanding and tried to sympathize with the guilt I had been feeling. She frowned and tried arguing that she should take responsibility and tell the pack that she broke her promise and told their secret but I managed to explain that it was just better to explain a different way, and that it was not just to cover for her. Though I could understand the sentiment and smiled at my sweet girl, she is the best thing that has ever happened to me. I am so young and already I feel that maternal instinct that so many people wait years for, I am so lucky to have her in my life.

"I love you baby girl. Now I am going to go out with Tony for a bit, just to fly for a while but tomorrow I will sit you and Piotr down to chat about trust and promises."

"Mom I know I can't just trust people with secrets but I figured that since Colossus is part of our little family now, then I could tell him."

"I know, and he is a part of our family now, which is why you are not grounded but I still want to talk to you about breaking promises. Not only the one you made to the tribe but also the one you made to me when I asked you not to tell anyone. I have always told you from the day that we met, that you have to listen to me because anything that I ask of you, will be with your safety and best interest in mind."

She nodded but smiled softly at me so I knew she did not take it harshly. Leaning down to kiss her forehead she hugged me and stuffed her head in the crook of my neck.

"I love you mom."

"Love you too. Are you going to sleep already? It's early."

"Yeah, just the nerves and the emotions I have been feeling all week and all the tears from today, I just need some rest."

I nodded and covered her with blankets before ducking out of her room to go straight up to the observatory. I knew we had the roof entrance and exit but going out through here was more relaxing. Tony came up after a few minutes already in his suit.

"Why is it that every time I come in here you are always laying on the floor?"

"I just wish I could sleep here. I love looking up at the stars."

"In that case, you know we could make this your bedroom right?"

"Nah, I've thought about it but I like showing people the beautiful view, if this was my bedroom then I would not want others to be in my private space."

"Hm, we'll figure something out."

We took off at the same time and I had to slow down since all my practice had perfected my flying and I was able to go very fast plus much higher than him. As long as I had oxygen in my system then I could keep the flame on, if I got too high then the pressure started to hurt but with Logan's healing power it powered me to go up farther than any human could, where Tony lacked oxygen and passed out from the pressure, I would just get a bad headache.

We flew for about an hour but decided to land in a doughnut shop in Queens.

"I first met you in a doughnut shop, what is your obsession with them?"

"Why would you NOT obsess over them? They are glazed, fluffy, pieces of heaven. Plus this place is supposed to be really good, the reviews are awesome."

"You looked up reviews for a doughnut shop?"

"New York has some of the best bakery's I'll have you know! Pardon me for wanting to try new things when I come on weekends!"

I rolled my eyes but followed him inside. I swear I could hear the gasps as soon as we walked in. The place was a bakery so obviously there weren't many people, only about 8 in total, including the workers. Still Tony went right up to the counter, ignoring the stares, and ordered a dozen glazed doughnuts. The guy behind the counter almost tripped over himself twice, trying to fill up a box. I had to stifle a laugh when he thrust the box into Tony's waiting arms.

"On the house sir, on the house."

Tony smiled wide and winked as he dropped a 100 dollar bill into the tip jar. There were people taking pictures, trying to do it discreetly but Tony turned to all of them and gave a big smile before wrapping an arm around me to pull me out of the place.

"You need to get over your fear of camera's. You froze in there and plastered a fake grin on your face. You gotta smile and wave at the civilians."

He said it so seriously but with a teasing smile on his face that made me break out laughing.

"There you go! No come on! Lets get up on a roof and eat these bad boy's! Psh! On the house sir! Hell yeah!"

We laughed and launched ourselves up to land in a random building in Jackson Heights, it was a residential area and I was glad to get away from the constant sirens of the city, we could still hear them but they were farther. I turned and chuckled once I heard Tony moaning, the facial hair on his chin was covered in the glaze flakes from the donuts but he didn't care he just kept eating for about 2 minutes. When he reached into the box for his 3rd one was when he finally turned to me and offered me one.

"Gee thanks!"

"Shut up and taste, let your taste buds be flooded with the a-"

"Tony, you are making me tasting this, awkward."

"Just saying, you don't appreciate food enough, you are always cooking it so when you actually sit down to taste it, you never get that wow factor."

"Wow factor? isn't that term used for weddings and house hunting?"

"I don't know. Pepper uses it a lot so it stuck I guess."

I rolled my eyes but I did let out an appreciative moan, this was actually very very good. We sat and talked about the progress of the building and how he was working on making the building self sustainable.

"I am making a lot of guest quarters, like you have at your place."

He said it a little too casually so I took that route too.

"Why's that? Planning on having a lot of visitors?"

I don't know, just figured maybe our team may grow one day and what if we make it like the Stark tower/ Avenger tower?"

"That would be cool, like having our own headquarters."

"Exactly. I know we use your place a lot but what if one day there is something official where we need to bring in outsiders? You wouldn't want strangers in our private family space so that is where my building would come in handy."

I agreed and started talking about floor plans and making a floor feel like an actual home for him and Pepper while keeping the rest of the floors as high tech as possible. Meeting rooms, strategic rooms, armor and weapon rooms, all the best equipment in labs that we could find, we got excited and talked for over an hour while Jarvis took notes of our ideas. I was in the middle of a sentence when Tony grabbed my arm and silently pointed to a figure 2 buildings over, it looked to be a man wearing a hoodie but once I got a closer look, I could see why Tony was staring with wide eyes. He was swinging through the alley and scaling the building with his bare hands! His wrists had a black thing around them and it seemed to be helping but it was still fascinating to see.

"Now that is an awesome Mutant ability!"

"He looks hurt."

Looking closer I could see what Tony meant, his swings were much more graceful than any human on a zip line but I could see the shake in his arms and legs, struggling to stay up. I gasped and jumped to my feet when I saw him miss a turn, only to crash on the brick wall and fall on the roof of the next building. Tony and I flew to his side but the boy was passed out, he had a black hockey mask on but it was torn and I took it off without thinking, he looked no older than 18.

"Tony it looks like he was shot on his shoulder and he has a gash on his calf that will need stitches. We need to take him to the hospital quick!"

"Wait! Bella he had a mask on… what if he is a mutant and doesn't want anyone to know?"

I paused and thought maybe he was right, they could take his blood and they would need his full name, by the looks of his worn out clothes, he didn't come from a lot of money, what if he can't afford what the hospital will charge his insurance? If I were in his position I wouldn't want to be taken to any hospital.

"Okay, I can stitch him up and take out the bullet I think, I saw Bruce do it a lot of times, if not we can tell Logan to go to the school and bring Hank, he is a doctor. Carry him back while I call Peter and Char to make sure they stay in the first floor."

He nodded seriously and we got to work quick, of course he made me take a detour to the other building and get his donuts but other than that we flew straight home and got him securely to the mostly unused medical lab. I started off by hooking him up to the monitor, although I didn't know what most of the numbers meant or how to read them, Tony loaded Jarvis into the system to double check anything and to alert us if something was not right. I knew he had lost blood but not too bad, we did a good job of wrapping his leg until I could work on it. For now I had to take that bullet out. Logan had heard the noise and came up to check on everything, we decided not to tell him what he could do and only tell him that he is a mutant so we chose not to take him to the hospital. Logan was a lot of help and got to working on his leg while I worked on the gun shot wound, it looked like his muscle was strong enough to stop the bullet so I was able to carefully remove it without making a bigger incision, as painful as it looked, both wounds could have been much worse. It seems he passed out from the pain but while Logan was disinfecting the wound with alcohol, the boy started to stir before going crazy and yelling at us to let him go, his eyes were wide but he was too blinded by the overhead light to see us, wiping my hands of blood, I dimmed them and leaned down to let his eyes focus on me.

"Hey, you are okay, we will not hurt you, we will not take your blood or try to study it. We saw you pass out on that building and saw your wounds so decided to help you ourselves instead of taking you to the hospital. Say the word and we will take you there right now. I promise we won't force you to stay or anything like that okay?"

He gaped at me for a moment and looked around me to see Tony. He gasped and breathed out a painful

"Holy shit!"

"Language young man!"

He nodded at me frantically and them shifted onto his arm only to fall back in pain.

"You have some injuries that will keep you down a for about a week at least. Do you want us to take you to a hospital? We understand you may not be comfortable here."

He shook his head slowly and seemed to be analyzing me.

"You are a type of mutant right?"

"Technically yes. I didn't have the gene activated like others though, mine is more on the science mistake side."

He nodded and looked like he understood what I meant, I noticed that he did not seem as tense anymore but there was something holding him back, his eyes kept shifting, looking at all the counter tops.

"What are you looking for hun?"

"You really didn't take a blood sample?"

"No, I swear I did not. I was so scared in the beginning, I felt like everyone was after a sample of my blood to study me. I promise you, I will never study you as if you were a freak, never."

He nodded and still looked scared but at least let us finish working on him. I tried to make the stitches as small as possible to avoid major scarring but so matter the size, he was still sweating and gasping in pain. Logan finished first and poured some alcohol into a small bin before bringing it to me.

"Heat it up. It will help to make sure his leg won't get infected."

I grimaced just thinking about how much that was going to hurt but I did heat it up and had him slowly pour it over his leg while Tony held the boy down. I felt bad for the silent tears and the painful moans he has going but I had to chuckle because in between the pain, I heard him whisper to himself.

"Iron man is holding me down."

Logan cracked a smirk and Tony looked at us in confusion. About an hour later we were done and I had convinced Tony to let me slip half a dosage of morphine into the boy's system. It was enough to help with the pain but not enough to make him pass out. We moved him to a bed in the containment area and cleaned up the rest of the lab while he got some rest. When Logan went to bed, Tony and I spoke quietly about what we had seen and we had Jarvis scan the area for crimes, somehow we had missed any news lately but apparently a masked male had been stopping small crimes in Queens and surrounding neighborhoods but tonight he stopped a bank from getting robbed, the police do not know if he was injured or not but he did manage to leave all 4 men tied up in the van they had as the get away car. It had only been happening for about 3 weeks so he must be new to whatever was going on with him. He began to stir and I went up to him trying to get his attention.

"Hey Peter?"

His eyes shot open and he sat up to look at me in panic.

"How do you know my name?!"

"Tony looked in your wallet, I'm sorry, I know you wanted to keep your identity secret but I promise we will not tell anyone."

He still looked upset but nodded thankfully at both of us.

"We are of course curious about what you can do but we won't ask questions if you don't want us too or if you just don't want to do it tonight it's fine. You are more than welcome to stay in one of the guest bedrooms but seeing as your ID says you are only 17, I imagine your parents must be waiting for you."

"I live with my aunt May. She must be worried sick. I was supposed to be home by 9:30. what time is it now?"

"It is 10:43."

He closed his eyes and grimaced

"I need to go home fast. Where are we?"

"The Baxter building. I can have you home in less than 5 minutes if you want to leave now?"

"How? We are nowhere near my house? It would take at least 20 minutes without traffic."

"We flew you here Peter. We will fly you back home. Come on, try not to move or stiffen any muscles."

I could tell he was very uncomfortable with me picking him up bridal style as I walked towards the observatory but once we took off he gripped around my neck and closed his eyes for a while. Once he opened them he smiled and enjoyed the view though. I had Tony and my guide to land in the right roof and it was only a block away from where we picked him up. I had Tony knock on the door and a worried, older looking woman opened the door in seconds. She must have been seriously worried but she started bawling when she saw Peter in my arms. I shushed her and Peter told her he had been assaulted but that he was fine. Once she recognized me and Tony she smiled and started to excessively thank us. Tony distracted her while I took Peter up to bed and took his shoes off.

"I am not going to say anything to your aunt but if she is all you have in this world, you should consider letting her in and letting her support you in the changes you are going through. You are too young to shoulder this all on your own."

He shrugged but did not commit to anything.

"Alright. Is it okay if I come in a few days to clean your stitches and check on them?"

"You don't have to do that for me."

"Yes I do, what if your leg gets infected and I have to chop it off!"

I laughed at his look of horror but then went to his desk and started writing down all my information as well as everything he could do to keep his wounds clean.

"Its the beginning of the weekend so I will come Sunday and check on you to see if you should go back to school or not. Drink a lot of water and rest, don't be stupid and go out there again until I give you the green light okay? Not that I condone you going after criminals but it is not my place to tell you what to do with free time."

He smiled softly at me but fell asleep quickly. I sighed and went downstairs just in time to hear May gasp and say

"He has been acting differently! Its just- I mean my husband, we lost him so suddenly and recently. I just though he was taking it hard. Ben raised him like he was ours and- but I never saw and signs that he had the mutant gene, don't abilities start when they are young?"

_Dammit Tony!_ I got to the living room and gave him the stink eye.

"Mrs?.."

"Oh no dear, call me May."

"Thank you May. I told Peter I would not tell you of his abilities if he did not want me to, unfortunately Tony beat me to the punch but this is a matter that is very new to him, I do not want to assume but there are guardians that cannot handle or do not want to take on the responsibility of having a mutant in the family-"

"I would never turn him away! I am a supporter of mutant rights!"

"I am glad to hear that May and I hope I did not offend you, I just want you to know that unconditional support and love is all you can do to help him through this, I am sure he never saw these changes coming so I will do anything I can to help. I left my number on his desk in case he needs anything but with your permission, I would like to come back on Sunday and check his injuries as well as go over anything he may question, anything he does not understand."

"Thank you, I wish there was something I could do for him, I had no idea what was going on under my own roof! You say you are not sure what his ability is?"

"No, we were not able to get a very clear view of him and he needs a lot of rest so we chose not to question him."

After chatting a bit more I found out that she is actually a nurse and is more than capable of taking care of Peter.

"I would still appreciate if you came anyway, to talk about any changes in him that I can't explain or understand."

"Of course. I drop off my daughter at her school Sunday afternoon's so I will come here after that. Is 6 pm alright or is that too late?"

"N-no it is perfect. I'm sorry dear but you have a daughter? That has never been said on the news?"

She covered her mouth in shock and her cheeks got a rosy hue to them.

"Oh sweet Jesus how absolutely rude of me! I am so sorry!"

"Really it's okay! I have not officially adopted her actually but I am her guardian. She is 15."

"Oh how sweet of you! She goes to private school?"

"Yes, technically. She goes to an academy dedicated to helping mutant students."

"I see. Well then I am sure that you will be able to help Peter."

"I hope I can. It was nice to meet you."

We shook hands and formally introduced ourselves before Tony and I took off.

"I can't believe you told his aunt!"

"Of course I did! The kid is Colossus' age! If something were going on with Kitten wouldn't you want to know?"

"Yes but this is something so sensitive."

"Bella that kid could have died tonight and May would have no idea where he was, what he was doing, what he could _do._ She still doesn't know about that because not even we really know."

"I saw the way he was swinging and that stuff coming out of him? It was like, like dry slime? Like silk."

"Dry slime? Really Bella?"

"Yes! Like slime you know because slime stretches and retracts but it didn't seem sticky or wet at all."

"Web."

"What?"

"It was like a web. A spider web."

We looked at each other in astonishment before he started talking.

"Jarvis, run a full background check on Peter Parker, age 17, lives on 20 Ingram Street. Pull up his school files and run a face recognition to match all street cameras in New York. I want to know all of his moves from the past 2 months."

"Yes sir."


	21. Chapter 21

**They call her Human Torch! Chapter 21 **

**Birthday's.**

**2 months later. March 8, 2012**

"Alright Peter, you see the 6th man on your far right? I want you to use your web on his legs only, trip him over before he rings the alarm but don't let his head hit the concrete. Do that quickly, as soon as the other 5 see you they will come at you. Figure out how to apprehend them without killing them."

He looked frustrated and tired as he huffed out and put his mask back on to try again. I felt bad for pushing him but I knew he could do better than this, he could have full control but he just had to give in to his instincts. The passed 2 months had been eventful to say the least, Peter had gone out a few times and made an appearance in some crime scenes while looking for his uncles killer, it fueled him lately and I was not sure if it was something he could use to better himself or if it would end up killing him. Aunt May was absolutely furious with him when he came home hurt a 3rd time, she was ready to lock him in a tower and never let him out again but I sat down and spoke with both of them, committing myself to train him and mentor him as much as I could until he was at least 21. They both agreed and I told him I could go out with him 3 nights a week only and he could not go out without me. It actually excited him and he worked on a spandex type suit for himself and his secret identity that he wanted to keep. He and aunt May had gotten pretty close to our family and we all promised to keep his secret, Jane and Darcy were not included since they did not live nearby or visit too often but weekend family dinners now included Tony, Pepper, Logan, Kitty, Piotr, Aunt May, and Peter. Logan tried to recruit Peter to the school but he didn't want to leave May and he was adamant about keeping his secret identity for as long as possible. Kitty, Piotr, and Logan had taken to him quick and had started training him on weekends. Logan had also gotten Tony and I into the danger/training room at the school so we could start plans to make our own, for now though I had my shield tight around Peter as we used the school's danger room to train. So far he was having trouble with the force of his web, he kept accidentally killing all the criminals in the simulation.

"Do it again. You need to not want to kill them Peter, I-"

"Ugh Bella, I'm not killing him on purpose!"

"Are you sure? Look I know you want to find the man that kille-"

"We're done here."

I sighed and leaned against the wall for a second while he stormed off. After turning off the console I walked out to the car where he was leaning.

"I'm sorry Bella."

"It's fine Peter. I've told you how much I changed when my dad was killed."

"I know but you are doing everything you can to help me and Aunt May, you feel like my Aunt too now and just because I am annoyed or don't want to talk about something, doesn't mean I can be rude and snap at you like that."

"Come on, its getting late and I need to take you home for that test you have tomorrow. How about we stop for milkshakes?"

He laughed but nodded quickly and got in the car.

**4 months later. Saturday June 16, 2012**

_Happy birthday to you_

_Happy birthday dear Kitty_

_Happy birthday to you!_

My baby girl was as red as a tomato as she blew out the candles to her cake. Everyone cheered on as Tony came up behind her and squeezed her tight.

"_And many more!"_

Pepper and Tony doted on Kitty as she cut her cake, Pepper even cleaned her face up when Tony smashed frosting all over her. It was heart warming to see them actually act like the godparents that they appointed themselves to be. Soon after cutting the cake and passing it out, she went on to open her gifts from everyone.

"OH MY GOD! Mom is this real?! Are we really going to Disney World?!"

I nodded and laughed as she bounced around for a few seconds, I was just waiting for the other shoe to drop.

"Wait, this is a trip for 15?! How?"

"A lot of people want to see you have fun baby girl."

She got a little teary eyed but hid it quickly when she saw all the eyes on her soften.

"Thank you mom."

She hugged me and went on to open the rest of her gifts. I was proud to see how grateful and thankful she was to everyone, even when Pepper gave her a pair of shoes that I knew she would never wear. 1 hour later Kitty, Piotr, and Peter left to go catch a movie that they all wanted to see and as soon as they left so did Mrs. Grim and Aunt May.

"Alright Clint, the kids are gone. This is your party now."

He laughed as we cheered and I pulled out all the food I had been preparing yesterday. Kitty's birthday was on the 19th but Clint's birthday was the 18th. He is leaving tomorrow to be with his family so we decided to just have a 'joint' party today. It was 7 pm but with all the family and friends in a party mood, I knew this was going to end pretty late. The usual suspects were here of course Nat, Fury, Phil, Agent Hill, Logan, Tony, Pepper, and myself. I brought out some bottles and cocktail mixers as well as big bowls of gummy bears I had soaked in vodka. They dug right in and I was surprised to see that Fury dove right in to the gummy bears. Logan was drinking much more than anyone else here but of course he and I couldn't get drunk so I didn't even bother, I didn't like the taste of pure alcohol and I was not 21 yet so I just had fun as I slowly watched every one start to lose their inhibitions. Nat was slightly reserved but even she trusted everyone in this room so she gave in and soon I had to go to the kitchen to get more bottles.

With more bottles in hand I went to the living room and found it empty so I followed the voices to the bar in the bowling room. Tony and Fury were fixing up some drinks while Clint and Phil tried to balance themselves enough to bowl but the balls went straight to the gutters. Logan and I sat together and laughed as we looked around.

"Here let me help you with those bottles."

"Oh what a gentleman! So why did they come in here?"

"They decided that you were taking too long and Tony said there was a bar in here full of bottles so they swarmed over here."

"I was gone like 2 minutes at most!"

He shrugged and went to the corner station to put on some music, asking me to dance and making fun of me when I said I couldn't. He started teaching me and I found I really enjoyed it now that I didn't trip over my own feet. Soon all the men took a turn at swinging us girls around. Later that night they started on some karaoke but it was mostly hogged by Clint, Tony, Pepper, and to everyone's surprise, Agent Hill. I did not go on missions with her or work under her like Phil, Nat, and Clint do so I have never gotten close to her but she did seem nice. That night only Nat, Hill, and Fury were sober enough to call a cab to take them home but everyone else ended up crashing in one room or another. Tony and Pepper already had their room that no one slept in. Logan had called a smaller room in the first floor, and Piotr also had his own room now. Nat almost never slept over but when she did, she always went for the same corner room in the first floor too. Pepper and I had a suspicion that Logan and Nat were friends with benefits but we had no idea if it was true or not since there is never any lingering stares or affection of any kind really. Kitty and Piotr got home around 10 and had locked themselves in their rooms after coming home to see Tony grinding into Pepper on the dance floor. Poor kids.

**Sunday July 8, 2012**

"Okay guys, we are just going to go to dinner, we will be back soon. Emergency numbers are on every fridge of every kitchen. Kitty you know how to lock the place down from my office just in case and I left food in the warmers. Lets see, what else?.."

"Bella, seriously? We are going to dinner, they will be fine!"

"Tony we have never left them here alone, this is a big place for them to be alone."

"You are acting like a momma bear, kinda funny but mostly sickeningly sweet. Stop. They are trained fighters in case you forgot. Come on, we are going to be late because of you."

Pepper laughed as she followed us to the elevator.

"Oh! Don't open the elevator to anyone! doesn't matter what they tell you."

"Mom you have it hooked to your phone remember? If anyone is allowed up here you have to confirm it with Jarvis."

"Right. Sorry. Okay be good and finish packing. Make lists so you don't forget anything!"

Tony groaned in annoyance behind me and suddenly I was suspended in the air one second before being dumped on the floor of the elevator the next. Pepper glared at him before helping me up.

"Ass."

Finally 3 minutes late, we entered the restaurant and walked straight to the furthest corner of the place. The thing about going to dinner with 4 spy's meant that paranoia was part of it always. Sure enough, we found Agent Hill, Clint, Nat, and Phil sitting in the corner booth, away from all windows and almost all tables around them empty.

"Hey guys! Phil happy birthday! This is from Kitty and I, She can't wait to see you tomorrow."

"Aw, that girl is going to be the death of me.'

He laughed as he got up to hug me and went on to do the same with Pepper. I went on to hug Nat and Clint but stopped short when Agent Hill got up and hugged me too. We had gotten more comfortable around each other since we run in the same circle but still had not gotten a chance to actually hold a conversation.

"Hi Agent Hill, How are you?"

"I'm good thank you Agent Swan. How is Kitty and Piter?"

Nat broke her conversation with Pepper and turned to her.

"It's pronounced Piotr."

"Oh! I'm sorry. I didn't remember."

"It's okay, he is use to it. He is fine though and so is Kitty. Thanks for asking Agent."

"Uh you know you can just call me Maria or Hill."

This conversation is so awkward..

"Right, thanks. You can call me Bella."

She nodded but I could tell she was as uncomfortable as I was. We ended up nodding to each other like in a truce before joining the other conversations going on around us. It went very well and most importantly, I could tell that it meant a lot to Phil that we got together for his birthday. We wrapped up quickly and went our own ways since Clint and Tony still had to pack, well Pepper still had to pack for Tony actually. Tomorrow we were leaving for the trip I planned to Disney world. I remember how touched Kitty was when I told her that everyone wanted to go and experience her first time there with her. Clint had asked if his wife and 2 kids could come along and of course we were excited to meet them. Nat, Tony, Pepper, Kitty, Piotr, Clint, Phil, Peter, Aunt May, and I were taking Tony's jet tomorrow to Orlando, Jane and Darcy were gonna meet us there and Clint's family would land at the same time we did as well. Planning a trip for 15 people was the hardest thing but I was able to get a whole floor of one of the resorts for us. Part of me really wanted to ask the whole pack to come as well but I just didn't think mixing them with these agents and my family here would go well. I felt completely relaxed around the pack and didn't hold back or shy away from their older brother like protectiveness but I was not like that around my family in New York and I don't know who I would be if they were together in one place.

**Thursday August 16, 2012.**

I had just come home from a mission with Phil last night so it was refreshing to get back to my routine today. Thursday's was always for picking up Kitty and Piotr so I was on my way now with Nat tagging along. Today we were taking Piotr to dinner for his 18th birthday but he didn't want a big thing, just dinner with Kitty, Logan and I. When I told Nat however, she just signed herself up. I have noticed she pays very close attention to him and sometimes seems protective of him, almost motherly in a way but she did it from afar. Same thing with Peter when he came over alone without May.

"So Nat, are you getting off to see where Logan lives?"

"Why would I do that? As an Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D I don't think I would be very welcomed to come in."

"Just asking. I guess you are right."

Pepper and I had been watching for weeks, we even recruited Kitty but none of us could tell if Logan and Nat were interested in each other, they were too damn good at being stoic. After a few miles we pulled in and I noticed her looking around in interest but she pulled back a serious mask once we pulled up to the front door. As always Logan, Kitty, and Piotr were already waiting at the front with their weekend bags. I opened the boot and stepped out to give them a hug.

"Happy 18th birthday Piotr! I love you very much and I am glad you are part of our little family."

He blushed and awkwardly shuffled as he hugged me back but then he muttered a little embarrassed.

"Love you too Aunt Bella."

Now it was my turn to almost blush. He never called me Aunt but when he did, it made me feel extra warm and also old. Kitty and Logan laughed, knowing how I felt about being called Aunt but then lined up to give me a hug too. Kitty always gave me tight and warm hugs but then Logan was less affectionate and he just threw his arm around my shoulder for a second before ruffling my hair. He went to Nat after hugging me and simply patted her back while greeting her. Once their stuff was in the back and we were all in the car I pulled out of the drive way and started driving back to the main street.

"So Piotr, today is your day, where do you want to go eat? Anywhere you want."

"Oh it's fine, anywhere you take us is fine."

"No don't start with that. Pick a place."

Once again Nat showed a maternal side, she turned towards him in the backseat and softened her gaze but kept a playful stern tone of voice.

"Don't think about what we want to eat, just tell me where you want to go. What is your favorite place or the best place you have been to?"

"Well, I really liked that steakhouse we went to the second time I met Bella."

"You mean the Brazilian place?"

"Yeah, can we go there? It's fine if you think it's too expensive or something, we don't need to go."

"Of course we can go, that place was great, I'm sure Logan will love it."

He nodded and seemed to relax as Kitty smiled up at him in comfort. It took us about 20 minutes to get there since I had forgotten which exit to take. Once we got there it was slightly fuller than it had been last time we came but still we were seated right away. I saw some people stare and point at me so I ended up tipping the waitress to get a secluded table away from wandering eyes.

"So mom, are you going to Virginia for Aunt Darcy's birthday in 2 weeks?"

"Uh I'm not sure yet. I want to go and I can but I am not sure yet."

"Well what is the hold up?"

"I don't know, I guess I just don't want to leave you for a weekend again. I just got back last night and I couldn't take you with me to a college town, I know Darcy will probably just want to get drunk with Jane."

Nat and Logan laughed, knowing damn well that Darcy was not one to get just drunk, she gets trashed.

"I am excited for whenever I fly long miles though. Tony finally finished a prototype of goggles with built in GPS. They are not completely fire proof but if I do go visit the girls then I think I will fly there and test out the screen and sensor on it."

Piotr almost spit out his drink from laughing so hard and had to take a moment to compose himself enough to tell us what was so funny.

"I'm sorry Bella but I just kept picturing the GPS on that thing guiding you to Virginia and then you landing somewhere in China! That would be hilarious!"

We all laughed then at the mental image but Kitty tried to speak seriously through her giggles.

"Don't let uncle Tony hear you say that Piotr, insulting his tech is worse than insulting Aunt Pepper!"

"It's true. I have faith in this prototype."

"I don't know, they just look like sunglasses not goggles. I don't see how it could guide you."

Everyone ended up giving their opinion but most of us were in favor of it, we knew Stark tech never disappointed.

**2 months later. Monday October 15, 2012**

We were all gathered for a family dinner in Peter's honor, he had joined Piotr in turning 18 now and so I spoke to Charles in order to excuse Kitty and Piotr from school for today, I would be driving them back in about 2 hours though. Peter invited his girlfriend Gwen, she was a very nice girl and from what he told me, she took the news of him being Spiderman very well, then again, she just saw him as being a mutant and he accepted that, he did not want to tell her about the whole spider bite thing. It was our first night meeting her and Kitty seemed to like her so that definitely gained her points with the family. Peter was suppose to bring her for my birthday party last month but at that time she didn't know about him and he didn't know what excuse to make for being so close to me and Tony, even now she still looked at us and I could see the curiosity burning in her eyes, it was the look we got from most people when we went out. Well, I did anyway, Tony mostly got looks of awe! She was even giving Kitty looks of admiration but that was slightly annoying her. Earlier this month the adoption process had been finalized since it was easier now that I was 21. The public record got the media attention and they quickly got pictures of Kitty. I was not nearly at the public media level that Tony was so the news died quickly, something we were all grateful for. I was snapped out of my thoughts when Tony threw my phone at me, catching it last second and being careful not to crush it in my hand, I answered it with a glare sent his way.

"Hello?"

"Bella."

"What's wrong?"

Jasper's voice came over the line but his tone of voice had me quickly getting up and rushing to my office, ignoring the worried looks digging into my back.

"Did Alice see something?"

"Where are you?"

"At home, why? Tell me what hap-"

"Take your shield off now and decide to do something, decide to come here."

"Jasper I can't do that, I don't know how. Why do you need me to?"

"Dammit Bella! Of course you can. Just like you mastered wrapping your shield around other people and know how to take the shield off of others, take it off of yourself!"

I deliberated whether I should or even could but eventually tried to picture it just like I always did, I had gotten better with my shield but this made my head hurt and my gut churn, it felt wrong to take protection off of myself, it was impossible to take it off since it was part of me but I did manage to slowly push it so it was beside me and not actually on me. It took more than half of my concentration and a lot of discomfort but I was proud to accomplish something new.

"Okay. I did it, Kinda. This is as off as it can go."

I heard him mutter something and a soft voice answer me, Alice.

"You need to decide something Bella, just decide to come visit Forks."

I quickly shut my eyes, trying to keep my concentration. I grit my teeth and pictured myself going to the house and opening up all the windows. Immediately I heard a gasp and more muttering.

"What happened? Jasper? Alice? What the fuck is going on?!"

"Alice lost sight of the Volturi completely."

"Why? Are they coming here?"

"She was watching for any new decisions they could make about us but everything turned black, we called you right away to have you take down your shield, the only way for Alice not to see them would be if they chose to go after you in New York but with your shield down she still can't see them."

"Okay.. so what does this mean, how do we proceed?"

"They had to have found a stronger shield or are training Renata to be stronger with her gift, it might mean they have known about Alice watching for them because they know Peter and Char went with you and I am connected to Alice or they are trying to find a way to be ready for you in the future."

"Possibly."

Just the thought of those 'kings' working their guards to have even more power had my blood boiling. I lost it and released built up tension, letting my arms catch on fire. One second later I could faintly hear my screams as searing pain rippled through my whole body only to double back and concentrate on my arms. The shock of the pain was enough to make the flames die out but my arms were severely burned, I could see through my tears the angry red marks and the blurry drops of blood seeping out of the welts formed. I was confused for a second but pain won out and my concentration slipped. I was in so much pain but I heard the door crash open at the same time that my shield came back over me with a vengeance. The power of it knocked me back and slammed against the walls, causing all my books to fall and making the person at the door frame fly back on impact. With my shield over me the pain fell considerably and I could level my head enough to see Logan's healing ability start to kick in fast. I closed my eyes and leaned my head back against the desk feeling completely drained. Now I knew why taking my shield off felt so wrong, it's what makes me fucking fireproof! All my senses felt off and so what was the family rushing in to see what happened, sounded to me like a stampede. I groaned at the headache I now felt coming, on top of everything else I could hear small, panicked voices coming from my phone. I heard a lot of voices actually but I concentrated on Kitty's frantic one first.

"Mom! Oh my god mom are you okay? Logan what happened to her? Why did she knock you out of her office?"

I felt hands grip at my arms but I cringed away in pain. The hands moved away and grasped at my chin and eyes.

"Bella, come on open those eyes."

I just wanted to sleep for the rest of the year but slowly I listened to Tony, knowing he would not let me rest until he examined me in the lab. Logan was right behind him and was carefully watching my arms heal themselves.

"What happened Bella?"

"Flame, I turned in-, without."

I paused to take a deep breath and collect my thoughts. I knew I just needed to rest and my brain was already halfway there.

"I took off my shield, I- my arms burned. My shield protects me from burning and I didn't know."

I could see him storing that information for later but he was concerned for me and I could see how on edge everyone was. I'm guessing my screams must have scared Logan if he came running and the crash of my shield was loud enough to be heard by them. Logan took notice of my droopy eyelids before Tony did and so he took over the questioning.

"Why did you take your shield off Bella?"

"Get me to my bedroom please. Not here."

I was too tired to explain the whole thing now and there were too many people in this room that did not know about vampires. They shared a look and quickly Tony picked me up while Logan went to grab my phone that still had Jasper's voice coming out of it. I heard the rest of the family try to follow but Logan stopped them and told them to give me some space while they figured out what happened.

"But Logan I want to make sure she is okay!"

"Kitty listen to me. Stay here. Pepper, Mrs. Parker, Keep everyone in the dining room please."

Once we were back in the lab Tony quickly took a needle to my arm to start testing my blood.

"Tony I'm fine, I just need to rest. Put my phone on speaker."

Tony shook me off and kept going with the testing while Logan turned up the volume of my phone, as soon as I did I heard Jasper's voice along with Peter and Char's voices in the background.

"Jasper, I'm fine."

"Bella! What happened? You were talking and suddenly we heard you scream out!"

"I got upset talking about the Volturi and my arms were covered in flames to release tension and relax a bit but I had my shield down so Alice could see and I guess my shield is what protects me from burning. I just need some rest, I am very tired."

"I'm sorry Bella, we didn't know your shield affected you like that."

"It's fine, I guess it's good to know right?"

"Look we'll let you get some rest, call me later when you feel better okay?"

I didn't even answer him when he said goodbye, all I could do was close my eyes and take it all in. The last thing I heard before I passed out was Tony confirming that my blood work looked the same and that I was probably right in my shield protecting me from my flames.

**A few day's later…**

After the dramatics going on the past few day's I decided that I needed a break. I had passed out the night of Peter's birthday and I didn't wake up until mid Wednesday. Needless to say Fury, Clint, Nat, and Phil, were all very worried that I had not been in to work and that they could not reach me at my cell. They were desperate enough to call Tony since he had stayed with me and he then explained that my shield had 'malfunctioned' he of course left out the part where vampires came in to play but still they were just glad I was okay. Logan had taken my car that night and had driven Kitty and Piotr back to the school against their will once he saw that I was okay and really did just need to rest. Now I just needed day's off to myself and as soon as I imagined where I should go, I immediately booked a plane ride here. Less than 3 hours after getting off I approached the run down building and went straight up stairs. I could already hear him shuffling about and as soon as I entered the doorway he froze while I cleared my throat. In a flash he turned and eyed me for a second before a huge smile spread across his face. He opened his arms for me as I ran into them and returned my tight hug.

"I honestly thought I would never see you again.'

"You told me you expected it remember?"

He pulled back as he laughed and kissed my forehead.

"It's really good to see you Bella."

"You too Bruce."


	22. Chapter 22

**They call her Human Torch! Chapter 22**

**Saturday October 20, 2012**

"So if he does track her, you have to fight the vampire army alone and if he doesn't you have to fight a vampire army that Victoria will create with a team? Only you don't know when she would attack so you prefer using the tracker."

"Yes. I just don't want to talk about it anymore Bruce, just thinking of all the variables and all the things that can go wrong, it gives me anxiety."

"I understand. Bella I think you should keep in contact with Jasper, Peter, and Charlotte for updates once in a while but in the meantime, just live your life, focus on Kitty and on work. There is nothing you can do and she may attack next month or next year, point is, you can't let yourself get stuck in life just waiting for someone else to make a move, don't raise Kitty like that."

I smiled at him and nodded. I knew coming here would help me relax for a few days but I also knew that I needed advice that only Bruce could give me with his level head and realistic outlook on things.

"Thanks."

Once we finished eating he got ready to go back to the clinic but I told him to go without me, I wanted to find a nice empty space to have him bring out the big guy, I came with an idea that I might be able to hold a mini conversation with Hulk and see how long he could stay calm. Could he relax as Hulk? Would he turn back into Bruce if Hulk Relaxed? I wanted to help him as much as I could while here, as a 'thank you' for helping me every time I crashed into his life without warning.

… **few day's later.**

By the end of the week my body had been through the ringer about 7 times. My arms and ribs had been broken multiple times but what scared me the most was 3 days ago when he grabbed me and shook me so hard that my neck actually broke. I lost consciousness for a few minutes but when I woke up I felt his huge hands cradling me to his chest, it took hours and hours for me to calm him down and for me to reassure him that I was okay but when I did, Bruce had trouble looking me in the eye from the shame he was feeling. I apologized for pushing him so hard but pointed out that hurting me had brought out a more caring and gentle side to 'The Hulk' that I had not seen before. He was scared and worried and for once, didn't seem angry. It was progress and once I made him see that, we were able to move on.

I was going home tomorrow since Kitty had been calling and it seemed that she missed me, she had not gotten to see me since the incident on Monday and I knew she must have still been shaken up because of it. That, and Thanksgiving was coming up so I had a whole lot of grocery shopping to do. We were having over the same people as last year along with the Parker's. The plus side was that Aunt May would actually help me cook this year instead of getting the load all on my own.

"Bruce are you sure you don't want to come home with me? There is enough space, I know you will get along with everyone, especially Tony! You have enough control now."

He smiled at me patiently as he heard the same argument I had been pitching at him the past few days.

"I'm not ready yet. I know my control is better, it's not just about that. I just don't feel it's time yet."

I nodded and gave him a playful pout. I know nothing I say will convince him but I had to try. What he did here and how he helped people was amazing but he did not belong here, he did not feel at home because it wasn't, this was just where he was hiding from the world. I looked forward to the day when I could call him and have him over for dinner or to the day where I could lock him and Tony up in my lab just to sit back to watch what would happen.

**November 22, 2012 – Thanksgiving.**

"Is there anything else in the kitchen Bella?"

"Just the Turkey but I will help you carry it out because it's too heavy."

We had just finished putting all the food in the dining room warmers and were trying to rush setting everything because we had a horde of people just itching to get in here to pick at the food. I was very happy with Tony, Jane, and Kitty's work in here, just like last year they had made the illusion of floating candles and had made it look like the Hogwarts dining hall. They had been very proud and we had officially made November our Harry Potter month. After thanksgiving dinner we would all sit down and have a movie marathon for the next few day's.

"Bella?"

I came back to the now and turned to see both Aunt May and Peter in the Kitchen.

"Hey Peter, dinner is almost served so no picking anything! Go make sure no one is sneaking in to the dining room ahead of time please."

"Yeah I'll go do that right now but first um, aunt May and I wanted to say something to you."

I lifted my eyebrow and waited, wondering what on earth could have them looking at me like that. May cleared her throat and stepped beside Peter with a soft smile.

"Bella, Peter and I simply wanted to say thank you."

Peter put an arm around her in comfort when she started to cry silently.

"Just after Ben, we were not the same for a while there and we are just thankful for you and this family this year for helping us through so much and not just giving us support but also training and helping Peter and Tony has helped him so much too. Your family welcomed us with open arms and we are simply thankful. There's nothing else we can say to express that."

I hugged her and Peter while I wiped away some tears of my own.

"There is nothing to thank me for, you fit so well with us and all I have ever wanted has been to have a big family. I was not able to get it with my mom and dad but I am thankful to all of you for being what I have needed and wanted for so long."

God, now I was a weepy mess too. Peter pulled away and had glassy eyes and tried to play it off by smiling at me and bumping my shoulder.

"Come on ladies, enough with the tears! I'm starving!"

Once the food was in place and the dessert table was filled, I walked into the living room to call everyone in. Tony came to stand by me and smiled secretively at me.

"What?"

"You guys are the big family I've always wanted too you know."

"How the hell did you hear-"

"Logan."

"Nosy bastard!"

**New Years – Monday December 31, 2012.**

"Come on, let's join them in Kitty's room."

I followed Nat into Kitty's room with Logan and Aunt May trailing behind us. We had been drinking most of the night and May was pretty drunk now. Just like last year, everyone was off doing their own thing and only Logan, Nat, Peter, May, Piotr, Kitty, and I were together. It was a bit crowded in Kitty's room but the view was certainly stunning. We could see the crowds of people and all the lights below.

"So, what's your New Year resolution Bells?"

"What's yours?"

"Hell if I know."

"Exactly."

Logan smirked and clinked his glass of whiskey to my glass of apple cider.

**7 Months later. July 2013**

"-and Tony will be just a call a- KITTY!"

Her head snapped up suddenly as she startled. Piotr just rolled his eyes and shrugged at me.

"Kitty have you heard anything that I have said?"

"Yeah of course! You said Fury is sending you out on a mission and I will have to stay at school next weekend."

"No. I said Fury is sending me on a mission for 2 whole months and I was trying to say goodbye to you! Ever since Tony gave you that untraceable computer for your birthday it's like I can hardly talk to you. You ignore me, you ignore Piotr! Who is sitting by you like a damn puppy just waiting for you to acknowledge him! Enough is enough Kitty, I am taking that computer with me and you are not allowed in this apartment until I come back."

"MOM! Are you seriously kicking me out just because I'm not paying enough attention to you?"

"I am not kicking you out. If you would have listened to what I said earlier, you would have _heard _that you will have to stay at the school for 2 months but if you call Tony, he can be here with you. I just don't want you here alone."

"Just because of the computer? Seriously mom, who is the kid? Me or you?!"

I couldn't think of anything to say at that point, she had never spoken to me like that or ever been disrespectful to me before. Parenting for me had been giving her unconditional support and love but in this situation I drew a blank and had nothing to say. Deciding to say nothing at all, I simply went up to her and stretched out my arms to get her computer and walked out. I was speechless and honestly felt like crying as I packed my things and her computer. Once all my things were by the elevator I called Logan to come take them back to the school then I took off my shoes and flew to May's house. I did not even know if she was home or not but as soon as she opened her door I burst into her arms and let the tears flow.

"Oh Bella dear, come sit down darling. what's wrong?"

Once I took a deep breath I was able to explain everything.

"… And I just froze, I was speechless. How do I answer to that you know? I mean she has never acted like that, it took me off guard and I couldn't even parent! I- I'm not her mother, do I have the right to even punish her? Ground her? Yell at her?"

She was a sensitive woman and at some point she had started tearing up right along with me.

"Oh Bella, of course you can! You adopted her, she is your baby girl, _yours. _Ben and I went through this with Peter, it was hard and we cried, we screamed, we had to figure it out but Bella I will tell you this, you can't run away from her when you need to make her see something your way. Parenting is so hard and it's even harder for people like you and I that don't know how to take our roles completely naturally. My mother gave me advise that has guided me so perfectly through all hard times with Peter. Be the person you needed when you were younger. I know you don't like to talk too much about your mother but when you acted out as a child, what did she do?"

"Nothing. She just rolled her eyes.. and left. Oh god. I left, I didn't even face her, I just left her."

I felt more tears sting my eyes but I swallowed back and got up. I knew I had to go back home and figure out something to say or something to do. I can't leave for 2 months and not resolve this.

"Go, Bella. You don't always need a plan, just be prepared for anything she throws at you. Remember, she is 17 now, look it up on the internet, teens and that stereotype? Not so much of a stereotype as it is a reality."

I hugged her very quickly and took off, making it back home in record time. As soon as I slipped my shoes back on I got in the elevator and took the quick ride up. The place was eerily silent but I stayed still and heard footsteps a second before a teary Kitty threw her door open. She paused when she saw me by the elevator but when she looked down she saw all my luggage and started crying.

"You're leaving? Mom I'm so sorry, I don't even know why I said that but I know how rude it was and Piotr made me see how bad I have been acting lately, I'm sorry I have been so obsessed with that new program Uncle Tony installed but I am more sorry that I hurt your feelings, I saw how much it hurt you and I instantly regretted it but I chose not to say anything and I should have because I felt even more guilty once I saw how I have been ignoring everyone and-"

"Kitty."

She instantly stopped rambling and payed close attention to me. I could see the more she talked, the more she worked herself up.

"Kitty, first of all I do accept your apology, it did hurt my feelings but I'm glad you saw that and cared enough to say sorry. Second of all, I want to apologize myself, you had never been disrespectful to me before and I was at a loss, I should have stayed and confronted the problem right away, I should have acted like the parent that you need but instead I ran away and I realized that is not the type of guidance I want to give you. I want us to be a team and I know we are not a normal mother and daughter, with us being only a few years apart and all, but we need to stick together and talk through everything going on, not just the nice stuff. I think we both learned something today and I value what I learned but this cannot be a recurring thing, you need to be respectful, not only to me but to everyone around you. That sarcastic little comment was meant to undermine me and the authority that I was trying to enforce for once here."

She nodded and looked like a scolded child.

"I know, I'm sorry mom. It won't happen again."

"I love you Kitty, you know I do, no matter what you say or what we go through, that doesn't change."

"I love you too mom, I hate that I hurt your feelings."

"It's alright, I forgave you for that and it's not something I will be throwing in your face so lets move on from that okay?"

She nodded and hugged me tight. Well, tight for her standards. I wish I could stay with her until we got back to a more positive feeling between us but Fury gave me 3 hours to be at HQ. All I knew was that Clint and Nat were coming with me but their mission was separate from mine. What kind of mission could I be needed for in Budapest?

**1 year and 3 months later. October, 2014.**

"So basically what your saying is that your source found nothing?"

"Well.. yeah."

"Jasper, it's been too long, she would have already built an army of newborns and attacked if that was the plan. We are missing something."

"Alice saw her for a few seconds with Riley and it looked like California."

"Who the hell is Riley?"

"Remember the vision she had over a year ago? She changed 2 men but only one of them is with her now and we identified him as Riley Biers, we think she turned him, he is from the area and came up missing about a year ago, his picture was all over the news."

"Wait, just a year ago? How did Alice see him in a vision over a year ago then?"

"We are not sure, that's why we sent someone to sniff around Northern California."

I heard him and Peter sigh in exasperation and Jasper's voice twinge with frustration.

"Bella, this is all we've got. We have been training, we have been planning, waiting for her to attack and everyday that passes gets more and more frustrating. She is waiting to catch us off guard, waiting for us to be comfortable enough to separate and move, to start over somewhere else. You think we are not tired of hiding out here in Forks? How annoyed we all are at not being able to go into town because everyone thinks we moved years ago?!"

"Why are you all staying in Forks anyway?"

"The wolves, they will help if we are attacked last minute and caught off guard."

"Why not just go to Alaska then? You said the Denali coven lives there right?"

"Peter and Char said they won't come if we go there. They don't want to live near Edward and we can't afford to lose them, they are the best fighters we have."

For a split second I thought about New York. I was here to give them back up and it was safer, more comfortable for them, but then I thought about Alice.. Do I really want them in my life so close by? No. Was that selfish? Yes. Did I honestly give a flying fuck? No. Alright then.

"Look I gotta go, if anything happens-"

"We'll call."

I sighed and sat back in bed just staring off in space. It had been over a year since I last heard from them or heard anything about Victoria, it was as frustrating as ever that my life was constantly changing along with everyone in it but when it came to Victoria, we were still at square 1 without having even her scent to track.

"Mom?"

"Hey."

"So no good news I'm guessing?"

"Nope, no news at all."

"Are you gonna visit Bruce again?"

"Well I usually go before Thanksgiving, yeah. Why do you ask?"

"Well you usually go after you hear news about her. I was just wondering if maybe I could go with you this year?"

"I don't know about that Kitty."

"Please? I really want to meet him and see him hulk out in person."

"He is not an attraction Kitty, _if _you do go I don't even know if he would be comfortable having you near him when he loses some of his control."

"Well I know he is not an attraction but I would still want to go anyway. I'm 18 now and next year I will start working for the school so some weekends I won't even be able to come home. I just want to take a trip with you before then."

"Yeah, I know you are right. But I don't think you will honestly have fun there. Why don't we plan something else? We can go somewhere for New Years and have fun instead of staying home?"

"Yeah! Where can we go?"

"Anywhere. Pick something."

"Hm well oh! I know! I have always seen those shows on the best hotels in the world and I've always wanted to stay in one of those ice hotels, you know where everything is made of ice and even the beds are ice blocks? I thought I would never do it because I would get super cold but you don't get cold and you can be my heater! You know just not too hot because you might melt the place… I guess it might not be the best idea on second thought.."

"Probably not. I mean I do have the control but.."

"Yeah I know but, we should pick another place. I know! The Tree hotel in Sweden! Look I'll show you on Google, it's amazing!"

Tree hotel? What the hell?

"Okay well then you look into that and let me know about flight info, I will book it all when I get back. Should we invite the family? Or maybe just the ones that spend New Years with us?"

"Yeah maybe just them, I don't think they have enough space for everyone."

**Sunday- January 4, 2015**

We were all flying back home today after the most relaxing vacation I had ever taken, Kitty was right about the amazing views, the tree houses were actually very luxurious and clean but most of all they were quiet, no city noise, no sirens off in the distance, just peace and quiet. Piotr, Logan, Nat, May, and Peter had joined us and it was a good experience for all of us but I think swinging from tree to tree was what made the trip awesome for Peter and I. Gwen was mad at him for leaving her on New Years but he told her there was no space for her and it was too strange to sleep in a bed with her while his aunt was in the room right next door. She eventually understood and let him kiss her goodbye.

**Sunday January 11, 2015**

"I'll see you sometime next month, I'm not sure yet when I will be back but certainly no longer than a month okay?"

"Sure mom, no problem. Say hi to aunt Jane and aunt Darcy for me okay?"

"I will say hi to Darcy for you but who knows if Jane will even notice me. Darcy said she is really obsessed with something she found, some irregularity or something. I don't know what the hell there is to do in New Mexico but she begged me to go and distract her for a while."

"Aunt Jane is into space stuff right?"

"She is an astrophysicist. She went with Darcy and her mentor to New Mexico because one of her machines or _something_, I don't know, something popped up and Darcy is going stir crazy in that van."

**Wednesday January, 14, 2015 – New Mexico.**

"Bells!"

"Darcy!"

As soon as I walked in to Jane's rented space in New Mexico I was tackled by Darcy and helped back up by Jane as usual. I greeted both of them and then turned to the older looking man in the corner staring at me.

"Eric, this is Bella, a friend of Darcy and I."

"The Human Torch! Young lady it is an honor to meet you."

He did a quick little shuffle to get in front of me and extended his hand out for me to shake. Honestly he seemed like a nice guy and over the phone Jane spoke very highly of him but all I wanted to do was stick my tongue out at him for staring at me like that… then again, he _was_ a scientist, of course he would take an interest in me. I have Tony to thank for protecting my cell phone or else I would still be getting calls from scientists all over the world asking about a blood sample to study.

"Dr. Selvig, I've heard great things about you."

I can play nice for Jane.

"Sooo yeah, Bella and I are gonna go get some shopping done. See you guys later!"

Darcy grabbed my arm and hightailed it out of there. She spotted my rental car and went for the passenger seat.

"Darcy! That was rude!"

"No it wasn't. Ugh I am soo bored in this little town! There is nothing to do! They know I was lying, you know how? Because there is no where to shop!"

"Dammit Darcy! Why did you call me down here then?"

"I'm bored. Oh! Lets go to Mexico!"

"No Darcy, Jane needs us here. Plus you are on a job! I know you guys are friends but you need these credits for school so you can graduate and come live in New York finally!"

"Ugh well when you put it that way.."

"Don't pout. I swear, part of the reason Kitty chose to work for the school instead of going to college then coming back was because she sees how much you complain about it every time you go over."

"Hey! Don't blame me for your kid! You ruined it for me you know? We were going to be the outcasts that no one made friends with but we were going to have so much fun because we were going to get into trouble and prank people, well I was and you would be there to bail me out..."

I smiled softly at the mental image she was creating. It was exactly what I had always pictured too and I had to tear up just a bit for what could have been.

"I'm sorry Darcy. I know that college isn't everything you expected and that you feel like something's missing but-"

"Stop."

Her thick and shaky voice reached me and I immediately stopped, knowing she never cried unless her emotions were strong.

"Don't start that shit Bella. These are things you are missing too, not just me. Things were taken from you that changed your life in a way that-"

"Oh Darcy.."

"But you got Kitty from all that hell. You got Tony and Shield, Logan.. we got a family Bella. Best of all you got super sexy and strong!"

I tried to look exasperated but we both ended up laughing. I knew she wanted to change the subject so I let her and she convinced me to drive her 2 hours away to a restaurant that came out on Man vs Food… oh Darcy.

**9 Day's later. Friday January 23, 2015**

**5:34 pm**

"Bella! Bring me a can of soda while you're in the kitchen please!"

"You know I have heightened hearing right?!"

"Whatever!"

"Coke or sprite?"

"Sprite!"

I rolled my eyes at her loud responses. Even after reminding her that I can hear her without yelling she still does it. I think it's on purpose. Come on, it's Darcy, of course it's on purpose! This last week had me feeling like a 16 year old again. It was just like old times in Arizona when I used to go to Darcy's house after school and we would spend the day watching TV or looking up random things on the internet.

"One sprite for the screamer."

"That sounds dirty."

"Oh! Well.. yeah you are in that sense too I guess."

"Bella! Ew I hate the thought of you listening to me masturbate!"

"Well yeah! It's not like I want to hear it but you do it every night!"

"Not true! I didn't do it last night!"

"Just because you were exhausted but you would have! I know you named your new toy Danny."

"There's no shame in my game. Yes I named him Danny, he is great. It's not my fault you are a cold bitch and don't name yours."

"First of all, I really don't care how 'Danny' is working for you. Second, unlike you, I don't need a collection, I only have one."

"Where is the fun in that?! Gotta have different sizes depending on your mood. What if one day you meet a guy and he has like a huge dick then you won't be prepared for it because you got a short thin dildo!"

"I can't see myself with a guy and my toy isn't small! It's like 5 inches!"

"Yeah! That is small! Not only that but it's not even a vibrator! I don't know how you get yourself off with it."

"Wait… How do you even know what it looks like?!"

"Last year when we went to visit."

"Is that the explanation?"

"I needed underwear! I was on my period and stained mine. Then I went to get you but you were arguing with Tony so I just searched around your room and yeah.."

"Darcy my underwear drawer is certainly not the small drawer on my night stand."

"… Okay! Maybe I did some snooping but I was just curious! I knew you had told me you wanted a toy and I wanted to know what your toy personality is like."

"Toy.. _p__ersonality_?"

"You know, glass, Jelly, realistic feel, with balls, color, length, width, curved, textured, be-"

"Oh my god you are a perv Darcy!"

"No I'm not! I just embrace my sexuality!"

"Hey I am no where near as shy as I use to be but even I can't light you a candle."

"Whatever. At least I'm not like sleeping around."

"Yeah because you never go out!"

"You don't kn-"

She was interrupted by a throat clearing and as soon as we turned we saw Jane shaking her shoulders as she tied to hold in a laugh, and Selvig with a grimace on his face and as red as a tomato. Poor guy has probably learned more about Darcy's life that anyone these last couple of day's.

"If you 2 are done.. we gotta go, my computer is reading a strange signal about 4 miles away."

She ran into her van and hurried to set up equipment. Darcy just groaned and chugged the rest of her soda.

"She better be right about this. Last time we drove all night waiting for something that never came and she didn't even let me turn on the radio. Come on let's go get some snacks in case it's an all-nighter again."

Selvig just averted his eyes when we passed him. Poor poor man.

**8:20 pm.**

We were parked in the middle of nowhere, no noise but the annoying hum of Jane's gadgets. I couldn't even use my phone because she said it would interrupt her feed. I was much less vocal than Darcy however, she had no reservations about complaining and as if to prove a point, I hear her behind me shuffling around and groaning like a petulant child. Jane shot up along with Selvig and hit the roof of the van where she started messing around and screwing things into place, I didn't ask since I didn't want to interrupt their research but they were looking up at the night sky expectantly, nothing was happening though.

After a few seconds Selvig looked down in disappointment but Jane kept her head tilted.

"Wait for it."

Darcy sighed and turned to look up at Jane.

"Can I turn on the radio?"

"No."

I could tell Jane was frustrated but she kept checking her numbers and looking up, still waiting for something to change.

"Jane, you can't keep doing this."

"The last _17_ occurrences have been predictable to the second!"

"Jane, you're an astrophysicist not some storm chaser."

"I'm telling you! There's a connection between these atmosphere disturbances and my research. Eric, I… I wouldn't ask you to fly out here if I wasn't absolutely sure."

I felt bad for her, I knew how hard people worked to prove theories but there was nothing for me to add on. I loved computer science, everything that Tony and even Bruce, threw at me I could understand somewhat, but half of Jane's work required courses I never took. It was mostly new and although the challenge was fun and the conversations with Selvig were very informative, here when so much was at stake for her I was at a loss. I sensed Darcy stiffen and heard her breath catch.

"Uh, Jane? You're gonna wanna see this."

I looked out the window at the same time that Selvig and Jane lunged to the roof of the van for a better view.

"What is _that?!"_

"I thought you said it was a subtle aurora!"

Whatever that was, was definitely _not_ subtle! It looked like a cotton candy galaxy in shades of blue! I mean it was absolutely stunning to look at and I had a fleeting desire to fly into it but Jane's shout at Darcy snapped me out of it.

"GO!"

Shit! Darcy was never a good driver but speeding in rough terrain and no seat belt? Well I would just be surprised if the van didn't flip over by morning. I was holding on to whatever I could as she swerved all over the place. Driving towards this thing opening up in the sky couldn't be good could it? Jane hopped into the passenger seat and was laughing in glee as she recorded with a temp IR camera. This woman was crazy! The cloud looked more like a tornado now and I fought down the panic rising in me. My hands started sweating and my heart was pounding.

"Guys, the last time I saw a colorful cloud coming my way it didn't end well.."

I was ignored by Jane but Darcy met my eyes through the rear view mirror and I think it suddenly sunk in what she was doing, driving into a freaking violent looking cloud/ hole that erupted from the sky! It gave a mighty boom that rocked the ground and that was all it took. She jerked the wheel and turned us around, much to Jane's frustration.

"What are you doing?!"

"I am not_ dying_ for 6 college credits! Look at Bella, She is freaking out! We are not doing this!"

Jane thrust her hand out and fought for wheel dominance, I considered jumping out of the van just to get out of the constant swerving but I couldn't see a thing, we were too deep into the cloud now. One second there was a crack of light bright enough to see a silhouette standing there, and the next second the van was spinning to an abrupt stop with a frozen Darcy and Jane at the wheel. We all froze for a second but jumped out of the car at the same time. The cloud cleared instantly and I looked up to find no trace of any abnormality at all. If it weren't for the cracked window on the van and this man laying unconscious on the ground, I would be doubting if anything actually happened or if it was just my imagination.

"I think that was legally your fault!"

"Darcy!"

"Get the first aid kit! Do me a favor and don't be dead, Please!"

"Where did he come from?"

The man jerked up gasping for air.

"Whoa, does he need CPR? Because I totally know CPR."

Darcy was right on the dot. This guy was easy on the eyes. He was blond and ripped! He groaned and stared at Jane for a good minute before he finished rolling himself over. We stared at each other bewildered, wondering how the hell he got here but suddenly he was stumbling on to his feet and almost growling.

"You alright?"

He completely ignored our presence as he looked around in confusion.

"Hammer? Hammer!"

"Yeah we can tell you're hammered. Pretty obvious."

"Oh my god! Eric look at this! We have to move quickly before this all changes."

It wasn't until then that Darcy and I looked to the ground and saw a perfect circle made out of strange symbols. Selvig looked to the guy still stumbling around.

"Jane we have to take him to the hospital."

"Father!"

"He's fine! Look at him."

"Heimdall! I know you can hear me! Open the Bifrost!"

"Hospital, yes. You go, I stay."

"You! What realm is this?! Alfheimr? Niflheimr?"

"New Mexico!"

I turned and saw Darcy pointing a taser gun at him, she actually looked really freaked out. He saw the gun as the threat that it was and seemed to grow more agitated.

"You dare threaten me, Thor! You puny-"

Yep.. she shot him. He thrashed for a second before becoming unconscious. I shot her an incredulous look.

"What? He freaked me out!"

"You can't just shoot people Darcy!"

"Say's the super spy agent!"

I ignored her and turned to Jane.

"We are taking him to the hospital right?"

"Of course!"

I nodded and rushed to carry the limp body back to the car. This guy was actually solid all over. I don't think I would even be able to lift one of his legs if I were still human. Once we were all in the car we hightailed it to the nearest hospital, it was dead and we were thankful since we found parking in the front. I felt bad for not helping but the last thing I needed was for someone to recognize me and start asking questions about Jane's work. I strained to hear them talking with the receptionist but there were too many other conversations all happening at once so I couldn't focus on the whole thing, only when the nurse spelled out Thor, and Jane saying Darcy shot him with her taser. _Yeah she did but you hit him with your car!_

A part of me felt like I should be calling in S.H.I.E.L.D. I mean we stepped in whenever strange things like this happened so it was my duty to call HQ but knowing that they would come straight for all of Jane's work and take it away, I decided to turn my head this time. I mean if something strange happens then sure I will call but I would tell Jane about it first, she is my friend, I wouldn't betray her like that. Soon they came back to the car and we drove silently back to the rented space, everyone had things to think over and things to process I guess. Tonight's events were a bit much so I could understand it. Once we got off I decided that I needed to check in with Kitty so I took my shoes off and flew to the top of the building.

"… and suddenly he was just there, unconscious."

"Wow. Now I really wish I would have gone with you. That must have been awesome to see. Aunt Darcy is bad ass!"

"This is why I strictly told her she could not buy you a taser gun!"

"I wouldn't use it! So how is the guy? Did he wake up?"

"We just left him at the hospital, no need to stay if we didn't even know him. I doubt his name is actually Thor anyway."

"Yeah. Did you get a picture of that cloud though? It sounds nice."

"No, I was too busy panicking for our lives. Jane got a video though. I'll see if I could transfer the image to take away the IR readings."

"Oh don't be dramatic mom! You heal!"

"So?! It still hurts just the same you know? And I heal but everyone else doesn't."

"True. Well mom, I got a training session with Logan and Storm, talk to you later yeah?"

"Okay honey, are you guys going into the danger room?"

"Yeah."

"Be safe. Listen to Logan, Follow your instincts, and I love you okay?"

"I know I know, love you too mom. Bye."

"Bye."

I could hear Jane and Selvig moving around but decided to call it a night. Today was enough excitement for me and sleep sounded great!


	23. Chapter 23

**They call her Human Torch! Chapter 23**

**Next morning. January 24, 2015**

"Bella. _Bella!_"

I turned and threw a pillow at Darcy.

"Go away."

"I want to sleep in too but Jane is making us get up quickly. She said something about Einstein, a rose bridge, and some stars that aren't ours, so she is going back to the hospital to get the homeless, crazy guy."

"What?"

"I know, crazy right?"

"No, I meant.. what? Rose bridge?"

"Oh! Yeah, Selvig said it was like a wormhole thing."

"Darcy I'm pretty sure he said an Einstein- Rosen Bridge."

"Same thing. You got what I meant. So come on! Get up!"

30 minutes later, I was left on 'car duty' again as they got off to look for 'Thor' in the hospital, I was only alone about 6 minutes though because they came back alone and a little shaken.

"What happened?"

"The room he was in was totally smashed! Like he knocked over everything and they had to sedate him."

"Whoa."

"Yeah."

"So what do we do now?"

"We look for him!"

Selvig turned to Jane and gave her a death stare. He was clearly not on board!

"Did you see what he did in there? I'm not sure finding him is the best idea."

"Well, our data can't tell us what it was like to be inside that event and he can. So, we find him.

"You're gonna look all over New Mexico then?"

"Exactly."

She turned on the car and pulled out suddenly, only to step on the brakes when we felt the van hit something. We rushed out to see the same guy on the floor. Jane really sucks at driving or he has horrible luck.

"I'm so sorry! I swear I'm not doing this on purpose."

She made quick introductions but rounded him into the back seat. I chose to sit next to him just in case he lost it again and started tying to attack us. We got back with no problem though, he was very pensive and kept looking out the window. Darcy actually apologized for shooting him but I think she only did that to have him talk. He had a funny way of putting things, that's for sure. Jane got clothes out and we watched as he pulled the shirt on.

"You know, for a crazy homeless man, he is pretty cut."

I heard him and Jane chatting about the clothes but then he turned to survey his surroundings.

"This mortal form has grown weak. I need sustenance!"

Well alrighty then!

"Jane, we should probably take him to eat. I doubt he stayed in the hospital long enough to be fed anything."

"Right. Yes. Food."

She seemed rattled as she gathered us all into the van again. We went to the nearby diner but I hesitated to step in. Darcy turned to me along with Thor.

"Bella, no one is going to recognize you, it's fine. Plus even if they do, I have been seen with you before so no one will question anything."

"I know but I just don't want to shine a light on Jane, She has been working really hard on this."

"Are you a fugitive of this realm?"

"Fugitive? Bella? No way! People think of her as a hero! They recognize her everywhere she goes and ask for a picture with her."

"Darcy!"

"I see. So you are a warrior. In which case I am glad to have you beside me on my journey through this unknown land."

"Uh, I'm not really a warrior.. I am an Agent."

"I am unfamiliar with the term."

"I work for a… _company_, I guess you can call it a company.. they fight for the protection of people, we protect from threats."

"Yes. That is a warriors job. W-"

Jane interrupted him as she came back outside.

"Come on! Out table is ready!"

I nodded Thor's way and had him sit next to Jane so Darcy and I could be across from him. I didn't trust him, he seemed like a nice and genuine guy but.. there was something off. Even his smell was different. It wasn't like the pack or vampires, but it was slightly more than just human. I wish Logan was here, his sense of smell was better than mine. Thor had no clue what to order from the menu so I ended up ordering a lumberjack meal for him along with one for me. Thank god I don't gain weight because I was eating almost half of what Tony and Logan do. Thor beat them all though, he inhaled his food in 3 minutes and ate what I left from mine. Jane broke the stunned silence and gave in to her curiosity.

"How did you get inside that cloud?"

"Also, how can you eat so much?!"

"Darcy! Now is not the time!"

He finished his coffee and looked around the table, I think looking to take some one else's cup.

"This drink. I like it!"

"I know, it's great, right?"

He threw the cup to the ground and watched in glee as it broke into pieces.

"Another!"

Jane got up to pick up some pieces while I went to the counter and asked the waitress for a wet rag.

"What was that?!"

"It was delicious! I want another."

"Well you could have just said so!"

"I just did."

"No, I mean ask nicely!"

He looked at her in confusion for a second, then lifted an eyebrow.

"I meant no disrespect."

Oh yeah, Jane definitely liked him. She melted in front of him just by the way he said the words. I mean sure he had a strong booming voice but girl get it together!

"All right. Well, no more smashing. Deal?"

"You have my word."

"Good."

Oh he liked her too. For sure. Darcy took out her iPhone and pointed it right at Thor.

"Oh my god, this is going on Facebook! Smile!"

He didn't even think twice, he gave her a huge goofy grin. Once she put the phone away he looked to her in curiosity.

"What is this book of faces you speak of?"

"Uh what?"

"It's a social media site."

"Social? So you can speak to the faces in this book and they can hear you?"

"It's not really a book. that's just the name. it's on the internet, a website… you know?"

"I am unfamiliar with this internet.."

"Oh! No way! All the information known to man is on there! Just type what you want in on google search and it's there for you to read."

"Surely not all of it?! That invention sounds glorious! How is the information put in there? That is but a black block with tiny gems on it. Do the gems power the device?"

"What? No, that is the phone case. I- it's satellite and.. I don't know how to explain.."

Was this guy serious? I mean I've heard of serial killers and psychopaths being good actors but.. I'm pretty sure he is not a killer? I had no way of knowing but before I could over think things my phone vibrated on the table. Thor startled a bit and raised his fist as if to smash it but I swooped my hand in and caught his fist.

"Don't! That is _my_ block of information! You crush it and I will crush you!"

He backed off after smiling at me apologetically but looked on in fascination as I answered the phone and continued to have a conversation.

"_Hello?"_

"_Bella, I know you asked for this time off but we have a situation and it just so happens to be in New Mexico."_

Shit! Please let it be something that is not this!

"_Really? What is it?"_

"_Locals reported a satellite crash just a few miles away from where your phone traces to. We are here already and have controlled the situation but we could use you on the case. Barton is here too."_

"_It's not really a satellite is it?"_

"_Is it ever?"_

"_Look Phil, we have a situation of our own. Could I work part time on this?"_

"_Yes but Bella, there is something else."_

"_What?"_

"_We need Jane's information, we know she has leads on this and probably a theory as to what it could be."_

"_No Phi-"_

"_It's protocol Bella, I know she is your friend and I don't want to face her and Darcy either but it is my job to find out if this is a threat or not. We are in front of her make shift lab and I am holding the guys off. If it were anyone else you know we would have already loaded up the van."_

"_I know. Look just give me a few minutes to talk to her. We will be there in less than 30 minutes."_

"_See you then."_

He hung up and I felt my chest drop. I know how hard she holds on to her work and of course she shouldn't have to let it go but maybe if I convince her that she will get it back then… but I can't actually guarantee that she will get it back.

"Bella? What's wrong?"

"That was Phil."

"Oh how is he? Did he call to send you off on a mission?"

"Yes. Here in New Mexico. Locals called in a satellite crash and they came to investigate the same thing you are."

"… And they need my things. Did they already take them?"

"No. He knows you and he likes you so he wanted me to talk to you first. They are waiting outside of the place you rented."

She sighed and I saw her eyes water up. Thor looked at her and his eyes hardened.

"Is there danger looming?"

"No, remember I told you I worked for a company that protects people from threats? They are here and think that something else crashed at the same time you did. They don't know about you though."

"That has to be Mjolnir! You must take me now."

"Mew- what?

"What's mew mew?"

"It is not what they say it is."

"Well whatever it is. They blocked it off from the public so you can't just walk in and claim it."

"I can if you take me there at once. All the answers you seek will be yours once I reclaim Mjolnir."

I got up from the table and stood in front of Jane.

"I need to go report. Look, they can take your things but they can't take him. Jane I know this means a lot to you and I won't tell them about him or about your book but I do have to go and let them in to your space. "

She sighed and looked lost while Thor looked ready to beat someone up.

"Okay, here is the key to the back door. Thank you for trying to help where you can. Could you get fired for this?"  
"Honestly I don't know. Just.. whatever you plan, leave me out of it alright?"

"We will."

I turned to go much to Thor's confusion. God I hoped they figured out something to do with him. I made my way back quickly and Phil gave me a look like he knew I was up to something.

"Where is Jane?"

"She made most of these things, she couldn't bear to see them taken away against her will."

"I'm really sorry Bella. I'll see what I can do about getting some things back to her. Your stuff is here too?"

"Yes, I have been staying here."

"Should we know anything?"

"No, I have been hanging out with Darcy mostly. Everything she does she writes it in her computer notes though so start looking there I guess."

He nodded and gave the order before pulling me aside.

"Bella. I won't ask why you didn't call when you first saw her work."

"She is my friend Phil, I didn't see a threat so I figured I could hold off."

"I know there is more to it than that. Just be thankful you are our 'secret weapon' if you were any normal Agent you would be cuffed and in an interrogation room."

I laughed at the image of them cuffing me.

"Do that and see how it will go with Kitty on your back."

He laughed and sent me off to the base with Clint while they finished off here. I packed my things quickly and took off my shoes to fly out over the terrain. Agents were just starting to put pipes to form a tarp around the crater but it was certainly a sight to behold. The lower I got the clearer the 'Hammer' looking thing became. Was this the hammer Thor was talking about yesterday? I saw Clint come out from one of the RV's and wave me down.

"Hey Clint."

"Bells!"

He hugged me and opened up a new RV for me to leave my things in.

"We can share this one. We will probably have opposite shifts anyway. Crazy guys trying to lift that thing keep trying to sneak in."

"Trying?"

"Yeah. No one can lift it. Some guy even hooked it up to his truck and that thing broke the bed of the truck!"

We laughed but I think he could tell mine was a little forced.

"Hey, Bella I'm sorry for the position you were put in, I know it can't be easy you know?"

"There's nothing for you to say sorry for. I understand how things have to be sometimes."

He nodded and we went to go help set up some equipment.

**Hours later.**

I was hanging out with some of the lab Agents while Clint took his night shift but I still had a Bluetooth in my ear just in case something happened. I was on edge since I heard the rumble of Jane's Van just a minute ago but chose to ignore it and keep talking until I was called or something happened.

"So have you guys found anything? Or need my help?"

"N-No Agent Swan, we can handle it. Would you like something to drink?"

"What? No, You guys don't have a problem with me being here, right?"

"No, it's just well, We've heard stories in the academy.."

"Nothing bad though!"

"Oh no! Nothing bad!"

"Well that's good I guess. What have you heard? I mean I've only been on a few missions so there can't be many stories to tell right?"

"We heard you helped save Mr. Stark. Was he really dying? Is it true that there is a new element that we were not aware of?"

"Well I can't speak about Tony, I don't know what he would want me to say but if you asked him yourself I know he wouldn't lie. As for the new element.. I wouldn't say it is new exactly, it just had never been reached or developed, technology was not where it had to be for it to be discovered before."

"Why hasn't it been released worldwide though? Does it have something to do with the reactor on his chest?"

"It is way too dangerous to be released publicly, plus it is an element that is not easily made. You guys said you come from the Academy? Did you just graduate?"

"Yes we did. Top of our class."

"That's great! Congratulations! What are your names by the way? I was just told that Fitzsimmons was working in here."

"Oh well I'm Fitz and she is Simmons."

"Jemma Simmons. He is Leo Fitz. Pleasure to meet you Agent Swan."

"Pleasure is all mine. Please call me Bella."

"Really?!"

They both shouted at the same time and I had to laugh. They really were quite a pair. I flinched when I heard a buzz in my ear. God I hated these things!

"Bella. We need you on the west wing."

"Sure thing."

"Gotta go. Lock this door behind me alright?"

Once they nodded I took off and joined Clint up in his view from the top.

"What happened?"

"Coulson is letting some giant come in and beat up all the Agents on ground. I had a clear shot but he told me to let him try to lift it. Of course he failed and had a mini breakdown. They arrested him and took him to a holding cell. Where were you by the way?"

"Met Fitzsimmons. Why call me if you guys already have him handled?"

"We never thought he would let us take him. He fought through everyone to get in there and then he just let them take him."

I sighed in disappointment. I had no clue what that hammer did or why Thor wanted it so badly but a part of me was hoping he could get what he was looking for. I had no clue if this was part of the plan they made or if they even had one but I had to get in that cell and ask.. well first I had to make sure I wouldn't be heard when I asked.

"I'm gonna go change shoes. Be right back."

He gave me a strange look but went back to doing a visual perimeter. Once I was back on ground I walked behind our RV and took out my phone to call Tony.

"_Yep?"_

"_Hey, I need a favor. I need you to call Darcy and speak with her and Jane. Darcy has a picture and they need your help to make an online identity for Thor-"_

"_Hold up, Thor? What kind of name is that?"_

"_Listen to me Tony. He is being held here and we need to get him out. Just call them and help them make some kind of plan okay?"_

"_Bella what is going on? Do you need me to go down?"_

"_NO! No really everything is fine just.. a whole lot of confusion. Darcy and Jane will explain okay? Just help them. I gotta go."_

"_Are you in danger?"_

"_No. I gotta go. Bye."_

I hung up the phone quickly before he could ask any more questions. I heard footsteps 30 feet away and knew I didn't have much alone time left. I jumped out of the rain and into the RV to changed my wet clothes and was slipping on some boots just as the door swung open.

"Hey Phil."

"Bella, Barton told me you would be in here. We caught someone and I want you observing him closely. I believe he is trained professionally."

"What makes you say that?"

"He threw our highly trained Agents around like rag dolls."

"Oh.. yeah I see how you would.. think that."

"Good. Supervision starts in 5 hours. I would suggest you try to get some sleep in the mean time. Barton's shift ends in 5 hours as well so you won't be bugged before then."

"Cool, good."

"You alright? I can't help but notice you don't seem yourself at all. Is this about Jane and Darcy?"

"No. I'm just honestly confused about somethings but I promise they won't effect my work Phil."

He nodded and made to leave but turned around last minute with a softer look in his eyes.

"I know we are in the middle of a mission Bella but I am still your friend. You can talk to me anytime okay?"

"Do you believe in Aliens?"

Shit.. did I really just ask that? I mean I love Phil and I want to open up to him but he is an Agent first, anything I say, he will act on and then my phone call to Tony will have been for nothing.

"I'm sorry?"

"Just wondering if you believed in aliens… I don't think I do but then we see stuff like this that just falls from the sky and you can't help but wonder if it's true.."

"Oh, well.. I guess I had never truly thought of it."

"It's fine, stupid question. I guess I should get some sleep before I ask you if you believe in the Easter bunny."

He laughed but gave me another knowing look before he left. What am I doing? Maybe I really do need sleep.

**Sunday January 25, 2015**

"Bells, wake up."

"What?"

"Wake up."

I rolled over and saw Clint looking pretty tired crouched over me.

"What time is it? Am I late for my shift?"

"Uh yeah. Couple hours late."

"WHAT?!"

"Relax. Coulson told me to let you skip your watch turn. You weren't needed. Jane and some other guy came to pick up the Doctor. You should have told us that you knew who he was Bella."

"Doctor?"

"Yeah, their co-worker. They said he went crazy when he found out we took all of Jane's stuff and he was able to knock out all our guys because he was on steroids.. Now of course that is all bull shit so Coulson let him go and sent some Agents to follow them. He wants you on the inside. He trusts you, we all do and we know you are keeping something from us but we trust that you will watch him and let us know if a threat pops up."

"I promise I will. That is what I have been trying to figure out. He seems like a genuine guy but.."

"But you don't know a thing about him."

"Exactly."

He nodded and patted my shoulder while passing me my boots.

"Go do your hair, you look like someone held a tap dance competition on your head."

"Asshole!"

He laughed when he saw me trying to run my hands through it. I got ready quickly and left with a weight lifted from my chest. I was glad they knew what was going on but they were still letting me take lead on it. I walked towards the main set up but backtracked when I heard Phil's voice coming from the lab. I heard only Phil, Simmons, and Fitz, so I didn't bother knocking I went right in.

"Hey guys, Phil, I was about to leave but I just wanted to say thanks, I know I didn't go about things the right way but..."

"You have good instincts Bella. I trust you."

"Thank you."

I turned and talked directly to Simmons since Fitz was just staring at my chest.

"Have you guys found anything?"

"No, there is nothing around it with strange readings. Only the hammer itself. I did do some research though and the symbols are similar to some Norse mythology but that doesn't really help at all."

"Actually it helps a lot. Look into the stories with Thor and something called a Bifrost. Figure out what that is and text it to me. Phil has my number so just ask him for it. Let me know what you find out about Thor, anything okay?"

They nodded but looked at me like I was crazy. I turned to go but Phil stopped me.

"Bella, you don't really- is this what you meant yesterday when you asked me about aliens?"

"I don't know what to believe Phil. He is a kind and genuine man. The way he does things, the way he speaks.. it can't be acting.."

He looked in my eyes for a moment, looking for something but eventually he nodded and let me go.

"Do you need to take a car?"

I smirked at him and he almost blushed realizing his slip.

"Right. Sorry."

"Wait! Can I see you take off! I've only seen some videos online."

I laughed and nodded at both of them and they jumped to follow me out. They gave me strange looks when I took off my shoes but their eyes lit up when my feet did. They stepped back and I heard Jemma laugh when I shot up into the sky. Soon I got to the rented space and smiled when I saw Thor helping Jane serve breakfast.

"Hey guys, so your plan sucked..."

"Hey! It worked didn't it?!"

"No it didn't! A Doctor on steroids? They had a tail on you all night."

"Are you taking the day shift?"

"Yep. They understand."

They nodded and we fell back into easy conversation while we caught each other up on everything that they had to go through to get Thor out. I noticed he was much calmer now but seemed withdrawn in a way, maybe a bit upset? After everything was cleaned up we got up to sit in the living room but a knock on the front glass door had us spinning. _What the fuck?!_ There were 3 men and 1 woman all dressed as if they were coming from the viking era or something…. Viking era, Norse Mythology! Oh god it's more of them. The biggest one knocked again and yelled something that I didn't hear but they were all extremely happy to see Thor. I vaguely heard some mugs drop and shatter on the floor but all that was put behind when Thor saw them.

"My friends!"

His 'friends' opened the door and came right in to hug him.

"This is good! This is good."

I heard Selvig in the background saying he didn't believe it and a part of me didn't either but… there it was! They turned and politely made introductions.

"Oh excuse me. Lady Sif and The Warriors Three."

"My friends, I have never been happier to see anyone. But you should not have come."

"We're here to take you home!"

"You know I can't go home. My father is… dead because of me. I must remain in exile."

What? Lady Sif went up to him slowly while the 'Warriors three' looked at him confused.

"Thor, you're father still lives."

His face was frozen for a few seconds but his eyes flashed a million emotions before they set on anger. He started asking about his brother and started explaining to them how 'Loki' appeared to him while he was being held by S.H.I.E.L.D to tell him his father had died. His friends explained a few things of their own and we were left hanging on to every word, hoping to understand just a sentence of it. I pulled my phone out and sent a group text to Clint and Phil, asking them to come down here. As soon as I sent it though, our attention went to another cloud forming in the distance. All the locals slowly came out and turned to see it. Thor and his friends seemed to know or guess what was going on though because they got moving quickly.

"Jane, you all have to get out of here."

"What are you going to do?"

"I am going to stay here and help."

"Thor is going to fight with us!"

"My friends, I'm just a man. I'll only be in the way or worse get one of you killed. But I can help get these people to safety."

I stepped in front of the 5 of them and spoke to Thor mainly.

"I will fight with you. What is coming?"

"Warrior Bella. You are just mortal. What is coming is too strong."

"I am a mutant. I am not just human."

I stepped back and let my body be covered in flames. They stepped back in shock and Thor looked at me for a minute before letting his arm extend towards me. Quickly I turned them off and glared at him.

"Why does everyone do that?! It's fire! Fire burns!"

Lady Sif then turned to me and bowed before getting near me.

"The Destroyer is coming. He overpowers everything with his own flames."

"Okay. I can absorb his fire and help so none of you get burned. I don't know how you all fight but I will help where I can."

They all bowed to me and my confusion or discomfort must have been clear on my face because Thor spoke lowly to me.

"They recognize you as a worthy warrior to fight beside them and they are showing you their respect."

"Ah, I see."

Well that is awkward.. Darcy shrugged at me but moved quickly to help Selvig, Jane, and Thor clear people out. There were trucks being loaded and places being evacuated but my main focus was on a giant metal suit coming slowly in the distance. Why is it always metal armor? I got a call and stepped away for a moment.

"_Clint?"_

"_It's Phil. You seeing this?"_

"_Yep. Coming at us as we speak, Thor's brother is a real peach apparently. We already have half the town evacuated."_

"_Good… It throws powerful fireballs."_

"_Did we lose anyone?"_

"_No. Let's keep it that way."_

"_Yes. Stay where you are. I think that is the only place this 'portal' or whatever it is, opens at so hopefully we can round it that way. I gotta go, it's getting close."_

"_Be safe, you are literally fighting fire with fire.."_

"_Good thing I'm fire proof."_

He chuckled as he hung up the phone. Once I joined the rest of them I noticed 'The Destroyer' had gotten into the main streets. The suit opened up to form eyes made of fire, there was no person in this thing. Just a huge machine.. I don't know if that was good or bad. It passed a building and I tensed as I saw the fire burn higher. I was ready and as soon as I saw it shoot a fire ball I already had it halfway to me and put out.

"Excellent work Lady Bella! Distract it while I find a way to a building top."

"Sure thing."

Cool, I am a Lady! Next was a gas station, but again I was ready to put it out. I tried throwing a fire beam of my own at the thing but it did nothing to it. I was caught off guard by that so when it went for a car, I wasn't ready and it blew up right in our face. I was ready and absorbed any heat before it burned their faces off but still it pissed me off. The Warriors Three threw their biggest warrior straight at the destroyer's chest with a battle cry "FOR ASGARD!" Literally it did nothing.. he was thrown right back to a hood of a car and I was getting ready to intervene but these guys turned out to know their shit, the distraction was perfect for Lady Sif to jump off the roof and impale the destroyer's back with her sword. It was actually hot.. I think I had a girl crush. She landed perfectly on him and the thing just shut down. She looked up with a victorious smirk on her lips but in only lasted seconds because the distinct hum of bending metal came to life. The Destroyer's arms twisted first.. then slowly his head. Suddenly she was perched on his chest and looking straight in his fiery eyes.

"Lady Sif Move!"

She rolled over and landed hard on the concrete. I flew down and picked her up while she yelled.

"Fall back!"

She looked back for her sword now laying on the ground but I threw her over my shoulder and left her with the other 3. It was my turn now. I turned to see a huge crack made on the street and it was heading for some old apartments but before it could reach I aimed all my strength at it. Were there people on that window? _Are you fucking kidding me?!__ What part of evacuate don't you understand you stupid dipshits! _Of course fire can't melt something made of fire but the stronger I pushed the more unbalanced it became. The problem now was that we needed that final blow that was going to finish this. My fire wasn't enough. The heat surrounding us made some storefront windows crack and shatter and I saw some people run from one cafe to another place, of course one of them had his phone aimed this way, stupid idiot was probably filming this. For once I let the anger bubble inside me and turn into hate, into pain, into stronger waives of fire. I knew this was not a fight I could win, even I was starting to shake from exhaustion but there was nothing I could think of doing.

"Bella."

"I'm a little busy Thor! Stay back! You will burn yourself!"

"Bella, stop. I know what to do."

"If I stop then everything goes up in flames!"

"Not with me here. It's not about the town. This is about me. Step away Bella, you have done all you can."

Is this guy serious? I looked around and spotted Lady Sif and the Warriors Three, they looked on at Thor like he was their hero. They had no doubt that whatever his plan was, it would work. _God I hope it works! _The second that I turned the flames off I jumped out of the way and Thor slowly took my place and started walking towards him with ease in his steps.

"Brother, whatever I have done to wrong you, whatever I have done to lead you to do this, I am truly sorry. But these people are innocent, taking their lives will gain you nothing."

As he got closer the flames slowly started to rise again. I don't know what type of plan this was or if it was a sacrifice but I would not let him kill Thor, I will absorb those flames, we will find another way.

"… so take mine, and end this."

Son of a bitch.. the thing turned off! I could almost cheer when it turned to walk away. Last minute his arm moved back in a graceful swing, my mind didn't get what happened. Thor's body was sailing back with force and I heard Jane's scream from somewhere but there was a moment of dead silence. The Destroyer was walking away and I didn't know what to do.. I can't stop him, I can't let him go.

Selvig ran passed me and suddenly I could hear everything again, I saw him dragging a screaming Jane away from Thor and something off in the distance coming straight at him. In seconds I could make out the hammer.. is it his? Is that what he was missing? I braced myself to see it crash into his chest but his arm shot up and thunder exploded in the sky, his entire body was covered in electric shocks and his arms were taken over by something silver.. armor. He was on his feet in seconds and was dressed like one of the warriors, like a viking with a red cape.

I got ready to fight alongside him as the Destroyer tuned back around and brought the flames back but in a precise move he swung the hammer and brought him to his knees. I had to step back as he started spinning the hammer in his hand and started flying, the debris, some car parts and all the wind put together looked like a tornado that lifted the Destroyer up in the air, he was using the hammer as a shield against the beams of fire being thrown at him and it was something out of a movie, the confidence in his movements made it clear that he was a warrior, _the _warrior. With a stoic face he wielded the hammer against him and smashed his face in, making it drop on the ground like the heap of metal that it was. These guys are actual mythical people.. _myth_ being the operative word…

"Holy shit!"

..And he just walks out of a cloud of smoke to stand in front of Jane like the proud fucker he is. Is he expecting a kiss for saving the damsel in distress? Because I will give it to him if she doesn't, Darcy looks about ready to drop to her knees for him too. He turned to the Warriors Three and to Lady Sif.

"We must return to the Bifrost site. I am to have words with my brother."

Just then I see Phil's car roll up and I have to smirk to cover up my laugh. _You're a little late to the party guys._

"Excuse me! Donald. I don't think you've been completely honest with me."

_Who the fuck is Donald?_ Oh! The fake identity.. right.

"Know this son of Coul, you and I fight for the same cause, the protection of this world. From this day fourth you can count me as your ally, if, you return the items you have taken from Jane."

"Stolen!"

"Borrowed. Of course you can have your equipment back, you're gonna need it to continue your research."

I raised an eyebrow at him and he just smirked. That bastard knew this whole time she would be signed on! Thor said something about a bridge and suddenly he had his arm around her and was twirling his hammer again.

"Wait! I need to debrief you!"

"Too late Phil, they already took off. How about we give these poor flightless Warriors a ride there though?"

He looked back at them and shrugged before continuing to cram them in the back seat with Lady Sif sitting on their lap. We got off and Thor rushed to the car.

"He doesn't answer."

"Then we are stranded."

"HEIMDALL! IF YOU CAN HEAR ME WE NEED YOU NOW!"

".. Heimdall!"

Finally after a few more seconds the clouds started churning again and the wind became erratic. Thor took a moment to make out with Jane while the 4 others walked into the circle. They turned to me and Lady Sif spoke first with a fist to her shoulder she bowed.

"Lady Bella, it was an honor to fight beside you."

The rest of them did the same thing and I had to ask.

"What does that bow mean with your arm?"

"It is a sign of respect and a greeting to those you value and admire. Warrior to warrior."

"Oh! Wow, cool. Well here we just do a hand shake in greeting, I guess it's not as formal.."

"How does this handshake go?"

I laughed and demonstrated a strong handshake to her and soon the rest of them lined up for one. I vaguely heard Darcy laughing and saw Phil hiding a grin behind his hand in the background but I never took the time to look fully up, we never heard Thor say goodbye to Jane, I just felt a scream rip through my throat as I felt myself being sucked into a hole and thrown out another end. I was on my knees and there was activity around me as they all turned and realized I was there. Where was I exactly? I felt out of breath but I lifted my head and saw a room in gold, it looked like an observatory.. but without a top opening. Thor came to me and helped lift me up.

"Lady Bella, I'm sorry, you must have been standing too close to the Bifrost site-"

"She was holding my hand. I am responsible."

"Bella, I must go deal with my brother, I promise when this is sorted I will take you home. Sif! Stay with Bella, the rest of you take him to the healing room!"

I'm in another planet.. Realm he had called it. Lady Sif guided me out of the room and I almost fell to my knees again. It was literally a rainbow bridge! It was a marble of colors and the view was endless, no picture could capture this, it was the epitome of perfection.

"Lady Bella, I must apologize for asking but are you strong enough to fight? There are frost giants in Asgard and your gift of fire surely could help protect our people."

"Yes, I will help anyway I can. What are frost giants though?"

She started guiding me quickly down the rainbow/ Bifrost bridge and explained a brief version.

"Frost giants are a race of giants that live on Jotunheim, one of the nine realms. It is cold and barren, they are ruled by Laufey, king of the frost giants. They are strong fighters and posses advanced physiology, their stamina and agility is greater than that of Midgardians."

"Mid- what?"

"We call your realm Midgard."

"Oh.. Okay. So where are we going?"

"I suspect the frost giants first move would be to storm the castle. We must find some guards to tell us where we are needed."

I was about to ask just how big these giants were but I stopped dead in my tracks when I saw a huge… blue thing.

"Holy shit… holy fuck!"

"It seems I have a lot to learn of your realm, your form of expression is unfamiliar to me. Shall we?"

I nodded but chose not to say anything. This.. Frost.. Giant thing was attacking a family with a child no older than 9. I saw red eyes on it and couldn't help but compare them to Victoria's. Fury and vengeance fueled me and threw myself at it, a part of me was nervous after being unable to defeat The Destroyer but my fears were squashed.. fire melts ice and these frost giants were only made for their cold climate I guess..

"Thank you! Thank you for saving my son!"

I looked up to Lady Sif and she seemed shocked but shook it off.

"Very well done!"

"Lady Sif.. Was he suppose to melt like that? I mean, is he really dead? That was too easy wasn't it?"

"It did seem so but your fire makes you an admirable Warrior, never have I seen someone destroy a frost giant with such ease!"

She side stepped the gooey body and led me through a narrow alley. A shortcut to the castle, she said. I was till in shock from the sights and the freaking blue giant but we didn't encounter anymore of them until we got to the Midas looking castle.. I mean it was all gold!

"Lady Bella! I will help the guards on the west wing and you can storm the east wing!"

Before I could ask which one was the east wing, she ran full tilt. I sighed and closed my eyes trying to listen which way more destruction seemed to come from. A crash that shook the castle walls echoed for a moment before Thor's red cape sailed passed me.

"Thor! Are you okay?"

"My brother! We must stop him! He has plans to destroy Jotunheim."

"Wait! Why is that bad? Aren't they the bad guys?"

"Maybe in our eyes, does that mean they need not live? I cannot let him destroy an entire realm, if I have learned anything in Midgard is that not every race is the same. I cannot say to you that I am superior as I once would have, I no longer believe that to be true."

He looked broken for a moment and I had to believe that this all meant so much more to him that just saving another planet, he needed this confirmation for himself, that he had changed and that he was different than whatever he use to be before. I took his arm and gave him a reassuring nod.

"Let's go then. Lead the way."

He jumped back in surprise and in awe when I raised myself a few feet of the floor.

"Do wonders never cease?"

"Did you think you were the only one that could fly?"

He smiled bright and started spinning his hammer again, a look of concentration took over then and he took off back to the rainbow bridge. Off in the distance I could see the gold room spinning. Did that mean it was on? It was definitely on. A beam of while light shot out of the spinning point and was thrown far into the darkness, connecting this place to Jotunheim. I stood back while Thor stomped over to who I guess was his brother but they looked nothing alike, where Thor was muscular and blonde, this man was thin and dark haired, he was very handsome in his own right but there was something concerning about him, a warning to stay back.

"You can't stop it. The Bifrost will build until it rips Jotunheim apart!"

He ignored him and went straight to the middle where the center perch was already in a block of ice, Before his hammer could come down his brother used a silver cane to send him flying back. So a magical silver stick? I rushed forward to help him up and sent a fire ball to knock the cane out of Loki's hands. He looked up with controlled fury in his eyes and smirked at me.

"Ah yes, the fire wielding hero. You were no match for the Destroyer, bow down and take your rightful place Midgardian!"

"Bow down to you? I'd like to see the day."

Thor stumbled in front of me to face his brother but it looked like it was to protect me from his words as well.

"Why have you done this?"

"To prove to father that I am a worthy son! When he wakes, I will have saved his life, _I_ will have destroyed that race of monsters, and I will be true heir to the throne!"

"You can't kill an entire race!"

"Why not? And what is this new found love for the frost giants? You could have killed them all with your bare hands!"

"I've changed."

"So have I. Now fight me."

In a move meant to degrade him, he slapped him and sent a blow to Thor's chest that sent him sliding cross the floor.

"I never wanted the throne! I only ever wanted to be your equal."

"I will not fight you brother!"

"I am not your brother. I never was."

"Loki this in madness!"

"Is it madness? Is it? Is it?!"

I saw something in him snap and true mayhem come out. His voice shook with forced control and his eyes glazed over.

"Come on, what happened to you on earth that turned you so soft? Don't tell me it was that woman? Oh! It was! Well, maybe when were finished here, I'll pay her a visit myself."

"Motherfucker!"

I pushed passed Thor and was about to throw Loki's ass into flames but Thor launched himself at him and the two started rolling around. With Loki so close to his cane he reached for it and was able to block off every swing that Thor sent his way. I couldn't intervene without burning him so I used their distraction to try melting the ice around the center perch, Loki saw me though and send jabs my way, the last one caught my side and I fell off the perch in pain, their surprise grew when I healed before their eyes and jumped up to keep melting.

"Insolent girl! KNOW YOUR PLACE!"

He launched himself towards me and I braced myself but Thor used him momentum to send them both flying out to the rainbow bridge, Loki dangled off the side of it and Thor reached for him but suddenly Loki was gone. He reappeared behind him and then there were a dozen copies of him.

"Thor!"

We were out numbered! If he could replicate hims-

"Enough!"

Using the thunder that came from the hammer he made all the copies disappear. Did he just give Loki his hammer?! He was stuck, he couldn't lift it. Just like all the men who tried before S.H.I.E.L.D got there. Clint was right, no one can lift it, not even Loki.

"Help me Bella!"

I turned and saw him trying to get back into the golden observatory but it was spinning too fast, we couldn't get near it with all the pressure it was creating around itself.

"Look at you! The mighty Thor with all your strength! And what good does it do you now huh?! Do you hear me brother? There's nothing you can do!"

I looked to Thor and saw his panic rising.

"There has to be something Thor, don't give up. We just need to get it to slow down, maybe if you throw me at it and with my flames I can get in there?"

He shook his head and looked deep into my eyes as his own sorrowful ones filled with unshed tears.

"Bella I must break the bridge."

"What does that mean?"

"I don't know how to take you home without it. There is no other way."

The Bifrost cracked louder and I knew time was running out. I can't go home? Kitty needs me. This isn't my planet, I need to go home!

"There has to be another way!"

"There isn't."

He was waiting for me. He was willing to kill off a whole race to be able to take me home. How could I live with that?

"Oh my god! No no my baby girl! Thor!"

I don't know when I fell to my knees but he came and lifted my chin.

"I will not force this on you. I give you my word that I will find a way to take you home Bella but I need you to decide."

My mind was frozen. How could I consider either options? I had to go home but I couldn't be responsible for killing off a whole planet. I could hear the sobs ripping through my chest but I couldn't feel them. For the first time in a long time I felt cold.

"I can't! I can't Thor! I can't be responsible."

His hands forced my head up to meet his gaze once more. I don't know what he was looking for or if he only wanted me to see the tears he was shedding for me but he extended his arm expectantly as he rose and looked at me one last time before bringing the hammer down.

"What are you doing?! If you destroy the bridge you'll never see her again!"

"Forgive me Bella."

He lifted it one last time and let the formed cracks shatter. Instantly I felt myself falling, water swept over me and drenched me but I didn't know which direction to fly to. I looked to my left and saw the plethora of shining stars like a beacon to go towards. A thought came into my mind, a memory of Darcy.

"_Jane said something about stars that aren't ours, wrong constellations or something."_

Another sob escaped my lips and pain rippled through my chest making my entire body ignite. No, it wasn't the right stars at all. I wasn't home.


	24. Chapter 24

**They call her Human Torch! Chapter 24**

"We need to call someone Jane!"

"Who are we going to call Darcy?! There's no one to call. He said he would come back and he has to bring her with him, we just have to wait."

"We have been waiting for hours! Even Phil left and gave up!"

"He didn't give up! He is bringing me my things so I can continue my work and see if we can do something on our end, He is updating some people and Clint said he would call Natasha."

Darcy sighed and looked down as her eyes filled with tears for the third time now.

"Someone needs to call Kitty.."

"We should call Tony or Logan first. I don't think we should call her directly, someone needs to tell her in person."

…

"_What do you mean GONE? Gone where?"_

Pepper ran into the room after hearing Tony yell and watched on in concern as he stumbled back and fell into the chair behind him. She rushed to him and gasped back in shock when she saw the tears collecting in his eyes and his hands beginning to tremble.

"Oh my god! Tony what happened? Whats wrong?"

…

"Wh- Why didn't anyone tell me?!"

Logan held back his own emotion as he watched the pain on Kitty's face. The kid was falling apart in front of him and Colossus was silently crying, unable to comfort her any.

"We had to be sure Kitty. They called me 9 hours after it happened and we had to wait and see if anything changed. We didn't want to make you go through this if she would be back soon after."

"No! My mom has been missing 3 DAY'S! How could you lie about that to me? You told me Fury sent her on a mission and she couldn't call me! You all lied! I want- I want to go, to where she was."

"I know, come on, pack a bag, both of you."

…

**February.**

…

Jasper heard the loud howls of agony at the same time the rest of the house did. Everyone ran as fast as they could to the treaty line and were shocked to see half the wolves there looking feral and exuding debilitating levels of sadness and hurt. He took note that only the wolves with no mates were present and if these emotions were anything to go on, then the others would probably be with the imprints. Iron man stepped forward from behind them and as the mask peeled back to show the famous Tony Stark, they could see the dark circles under his eyes and the red rim in them as well. Peter and Char were the only vampires to have met him and knew him enough to know something was wrong.

"What's happened?"

…

**March.**

…

"Anything new on your end?"

Jane looked up to Tony and chose to simply shake her head. The answer had been the same every 2 weeks that he came. He had stayed in New Mexico for 3 weeks with Kitty but after Phil called Pepper she came to drag them home. Tony had taken Bella's absence as bad as Kitty. Pepper had caught him many times getting his things ready on a Friday morning, only to remember that there was no one in New York waiting for him. Eventually Logan had to take the kids back to the school and no one had the inclination to visit the empty penthouse.

…

**Bella's Pov.**

"Bella."

I looked up from the book and saw Sif leaning on the balcony of my bedroom.

"Hi Sif, What's up?"

She crooked an eyebrow and smirked at me. I had taken to teaching her all kinds of 'Midgardian' behavior and expressions and in exchange she lent me books and gave me lessons on the Nine Realms.

"I wanted to inform you that we might have found another one of Loki's secret passageways."

I instantly perked up and looked at her.

"Really? Where?"

"Please do not get your hopes up Bella."

I sighed and leaned back in bed. I knew it was probably a way to another planet and if I got my hopes up for getting home then I would just be crushed when I didn't.

"I'm sorry, I did not wish to upset you."

"I understand. I just miss my family."

"Heimdall say's they still look for you and miss you as well. As long as they do not give up then neither shall you. Tomorrow may not go in your favor but in the least you will explore a new Realm."

I nodded and wiped some tears away as she came to pull me out of bed.

"Come now. Dinner is served. If I knew those history books would captivate your attention I might not have given them to you."

I laughed and followed but inside I was groaning. Asgard was a magical place in the literal sense but when it came to food… they were still stuck in the viking era.. as in, no flavor. Well that was mean to say but compared to all the spices we had it was just so different here, and bland, very very bland. Thor's father had declared me a royal guest to the castle while I was stuck here so when I tried to help in the kitchen there was always a maid to assist me or tell me it was improper for a guest to do such work… I guess my love for classic literature paid off because without the education from it I might not have survived the oppressing stiffness there was to everything.

The only people I felt lighter with were Thor, Sif, Heimdall, and the Warriors Three. Although, I never called them that anymore, not after I finally learned their names 3 weeks ago. I was too afraid to seem rude and ask before but now I really considered them my friends. They had been working endlessly, looking through books and speaking with other Asgardians about other portals. So far they have found nothing that worked other than the rumored passageways that Loki had created. Thor had explained that his mother, the queen, was talented and had shown Loki how to wield magic since he was a child, he had made passageways to other realms but no one knew how to reach them or which realm they led to. The queen was my best hope in getting home but she was closest to Loki and his death had her mourning, no one was willing to ask anything of her and although I wanted to go home, I wasn't willing to disrupt her. I had said as much to the king and he was grateful enough to let me take the Warriors Three with me whenever we found passageways.

I didn't truly believe that Loki was dead. I saw Thor gripping his hand for dear life when the bridge shattered but after the king showed up and showed his displeasure, Loki simply let go. If he was so talented in magic then surely he had some plan right?

"Who found out about this next passage?"

"Fandral. He has searched with vigor to please you. I believe the fool wishes for your affections."

"Oh, I don't- it would never-"

"He knows there is no tomorrow with you. Still I think the chase is what keeps him entertained. Women of Asgard fall to their knees and here you are, such talent is not overlooked by the men in this realm, he wishes to conquer before any other, be it just for one night."

"Well when you put it that way! That is definitely not fucking happening!"

She laughed at me and continued walking to the dining hall. I don't know why ever since I explained how the word 'fuck' was used in our realm, they found is so funny. I could call them fuckers and they would probably laugh instead of taking offense to it. There were so many things that were so amazing here and every new thing I learned was bittersweet, I was always thinking 'Darcy would find that hilarious' or 'Jane would jump on the chance to study that' and 'Tony would shit himself if he saw this'. There was a constant weight on my chest that could leave me paralyzed if I paid attention to it. For now I was sticking with oblivion and going about things in a detached manor. However unhealthy it may be.

"I was reading through the type of races there are in each realm and I noticed there are not many nice things to say about the Halal? Realm, Why is that?"

"Hala. It is the home of the Kree. They are deceitful savages. We already had a run in with Jotunheim, let's hope tomorrow we go anywhere other than Hala."

"Why are they different?"

"War between the Kree and other races is far too frequent, they are volatile and unstable to the point that they have become divided among themselves. We do not interfere with such things, especially now that they are on the verge of war with the Nova empire."

"That has come up on almost every book! What is the Nova Empire? Sounds like something out of Star Wars or something."

"I do not comprehend how there can be war among stars themselves?"

"Um, Yeah it's a movie-"

"On the televisions you talked about?"

"Yes. It's very popular but I have not seen it. Space stuff doesn't really catch my attention. I'm more into Harry Potter and Sherlock."

When I got no response I turned and saw she was waiting expectantly for an explanation to what Harry potter was.. Fuck that if I am going to explain the magic of Hogwarts to someone who knows people who can do magic without wands…

"Never mind, So what about this Nova Empire?"

"Well, they reside mainly in the planet of Xandar. You would not know much of it since Xandar is not in our nine realms. They are an intergalactic hegemony made up of many races. Mostly Xandarians, but there are others like the Krylorians, the Rainers, and the A'askavariians."

"Sif you are speaking a language I don't know.."

"I apologize. I guess there are more books I need to collect for you."

"That would be helpful, thank you."

"I will find a book with the detailed start of the Nova Empire but they rule over a good portion of the galaxy. The Nova Corps is the Empire's primary military and peacekeeping force."

"I'm guessing Asgard is not one of the places they rule?"

"Of course not. We are capable of controlling ourselves. Our army rivals the force of the Nova Corps."

…

**April**

…

**May**

…

**June – Bella Pov.**

"Lady Bella, Pardon the intrusion."

"It's okay Heimdall. Do you need something?"

"I spoke with our King and he has agreed to let you try the next portal today."

I got up from the library couch along with Thor who looked as shocked as I did.

"Heimdall? My father wanted more time to pass until we tried another passageway, what has changed?"

"It seems the Queen has new information that the King is not ready to announce to the court. For now, he feels that an outing to another Realm will look good for Asgard and it will also do well for Lady Bella on this day."

Thor looked to me in confusion but I just took the book and walked past him towards my room.

"I will be ready to leave in 5 minutes then."

I rushed to my room and tried to ignore the sting of the tears that threatened to shed. I had to change and do something with this hair. I worked on auto pilot as I dressed but couldn't help but think I looked good dressed as a warrior. My suit was torn and although I had fixed it months ago, I couldn't wear the same thing everyday could I? I tried to ignore the knock on the door but Thor walked in with Sif and The Warriors Three anyway.

"Bella, I must apologize. I was not aware that today is your daughters birthday."

"Don't Thor. I don't want to talk about it. I simply asked Heimdall this morning to check up on her. If I were there it would be different but I'm not so today is no different than any other here. Don't apologize, we have gone through this before."

They nodded and let the subject go but I could feel the sympathy radiating off of them and that was the real reason I hadn't said anything. I didn't want anyone feeling bad for me.

"So are we leaving or not?"

"Yes. I checked with father and he confirmed that we may go."

I nodded and followed them through the kingdom until we got outside the city. So far all the Passageways that had been found had been in the city but 1 hour into the trip I was getting antsy.

"Are we close? Who found this anyway?"

"One of the light elves sent me a message through Heimdall 2 day's ago."

We looked at Hogun in surprise but Volstagg gave him a slap in the back.

"You loyal Warrior you! Bedding maidens in the name of Asgard?"

I had to hide my smirk when I saw Hogun glare at us with a blush starting to form.

"I did not rest with her you Nidhug!"

"Nidhug?"

"Nidhug is the creature that lives in Hel, in Niflheim, at the root of the tree Yggdrasil. Vile creature with horns that feeds on the roots of Yggdrasil and the corpses of the dead."

I seriously fought the urge to roll my eyes.. I mean I get it, they are gods and magic exists in this planet but now this? This was the stuff in fiction books.. I remained silent for the rest of the way but the longer it took to get there, the more I felt my anxiety rising.

"We should be 2 minutes out."

"Good, I wish to be back home by supper."

"You are always hungry Volstagg! Learn to contain yourself."

"Sif I eat as a man should. You only require half of my consumption."

She rolled her eyes but remained quiet, they all did and I felt a little guilt that they had to stop their fun because of my nerves that were plain to see now. Fandral swung his arm over my waist and though usually I would shrug him off, I chose not to, instead I took a deep breath and tried to calm my frantic heart.

…

"It's a beautiful sight."

At Sif's words I couldn't hold it in anymore. I slid down to the floor and leaned against the nearest tree. It hurt too much to keep my emotions at bay this time. "I'm sorry." I heard myself repeating it over and over but no matter how much I tried I couldn't get control of it. Today of all day's I want nothing more than to go home. It hurt when I missed Pepper's birthday, it hurt when I missed Jane's, and Tony's, and Clint's, but today waking up and missing my Baby's 19th birthday, today getting a chance to go home and finding that I am once again in another realm. It's all too much.

…

It had been 3 day's since I had my emotional breakdown and I was still tired from it. Mentally, emotionally, and physically. When I finally cried my eyes out I fell deep asleep and someone carried me back, I slept the rest of that day and woke up the night of the next. Now I didn't have the courage to step outside my room, I needed some space to rebuild my walls and make myself tougher. I felt that if I took a step out right now I would probably breakdown as soon as someone said a word to me. Selfishly I wished I was in La Push so I could be hugged and comforted by my family there. I wondered if anyone had thought to inform them of my disappearance…. Or if Victoria had made a move in the months I had been gone.

…

**July**

…

**August. Bella Pov.**

"My father at last has figured out what my mother has been hiding."

"Shit! You can't just barge in like that Thor! You scared me half to death."

Fandral and Hogun laughed at my 'ridiculous' Midgardian expression but they then glared at Thor for the interruption. I was in the middle of explaining Sherlock to them and they were really into it. I lost the interest of Sif and Volstagg but these 2 were all for it.

"What did you find out?"

"My Mother, she saw a vision of Loki. He is alive and she thinks he has plans to use the Tesseract!"

"The what?"

My question was ignored after the guys jumped up and they all started marching into the castle muttering things about battles.

"Wait! Isn't the Tesseract something with those infinity stones?

"I will give you a book."

I followed the voice back to Sif. She was rushing to catch up to us with Volstagg on her heals. She nodded to us in greeting but stepped in front of the group and started leading us towards the throne room. The King and Queen were already there with Heimdall, some trusted guards, and few court advisers. Once we were close enough to the throne steps we knelt in respect and got up once he acknowledged us. I remember the first time in here I stood like an idiot until Thor put pressure behind my knees as a hint. The King then forgave my rudeness and explained that he did not expect me to know all Asgardian custom's. Still as time passed I grew comfortable with it and actually did do it to show respect. He was a great King and deserved it.

"Mother? Father? What has changed?"

The King and Queen looked to Heimdall to take lead on the conversation.

"The other realms sense a change due to the destruction of the Bifrost, Asgard is cut off from them and the Marauders know it. Nidavellir fears the dwarven forges will be overtaken without our protection. The Badoon and Marauders are mobilizing to attack others, including Vanaheim."

Hogun suddenly tensed up and stepped forward before Volstagg and Fandral each put an arm in front to bring him back to our side. I looked on in confusion as to what could have him so rattled, usually he was the most serious and unaffected of us all. Sif slowly leaned into my side and whispered so low that I might not have heard without Logan's hearing.

"Vanaheim is Hogun's home realm."

I gasped and understood his urgency. Heimdall chose to ignore us and continued talking.

"The destruction of the Bifrost continues to shift the balance of power across the nine realms… and into the worlds beyond Yggdrasil."

I felt the fabric of Thor's cape as he stepped in front of me to kneel in front of his father.

"Father, I must apologize once more for my actions. In my haste to to save Jotunheim, it seems I have weakened the other realms."

Odin sighed and looked intently at his son as he held the Queen's hand.

"It is true that this has brought the universe closer to Ragnarok. However, it is also why I have allowed the 6 of you to follow through all passageways found. Our presence in other realms are what have kept the Marauders and the Badoon's at bay for so long. As you all have been informed, Frigga has seen and spoken with Loki in a vision. The vision was in Sanctuary."

There were gasps heard all around and I had to dig into my head to figure out what the deal was. Sanctuary wasn't in their ruling, it wasn't one of the nine realms, it is a domain ruled by Thanos which… ahh shit! Thanos is a powerful, cosmic warlord who rules over a distant region of space and commands a massive army known as the Chitauri.

".. He was speaking to The Other, Thanos' personal servant."

The Queen looked down as she spoke and I knew it must have been hard. The whole situation had to be a kick in the gut for her, to find out her son isn't dead and then to have to out him to the court, knowing we would go after him anyway that we could. The King held her and turned to us.

"We have no choice but to wait for them to make a move. When the time comes I will do whatever is necessary."

He looked deep into my eyes as he said it and I did not know if I should be freaked out or not.

"What we can do now, is have you all visit another realm through the passageway's that have been found. We need to be seen. Do not hide in the shadows as you have done before. I want the Marauder's to know that Asgardians are not trapped. I want them held off for as long as possible, until Loki has been taken care of."

That was our dismissal so after bowing we all took our leave and decided that we would go now and spend the night in another realm. Passageway's are usually secluded so we would have to do a bit of travel before someone in another realm saw us. I allowed myself to be excited for this. I know there is a war coming on with Loki but if the Tesseract is involved in anyway then I would fight with everything I had to make sure we got it. I knew the infinity stone in it had the power to fix the Bifrost and take me home at last.

"Stop!"

I turned and saw one of the guards run down towards us. He looked nervous and kept his head down for the most part.

"I think I have information to a new passageway."

"You think?"

"My daughter found it near our home. I have taken guard at the other portals found and this one looks different. I spoke to Heimdall and he has given me permission to guide you to it. I believe it leads to a realm outside of Yggdrasil."

I stayed quiet, knowing it was not my place to give my opinion on the matter but I couldn't believe it. I have been reading so much about the surrounding worlds and the type of races they inhabit, I would love to see it. Thor turned to the guard and nodded.

"Follow me then. My home is a few miles out of the city."

Why would Loki make a portal in someone's back yard? We followed him about an hour when we finally got there. Talk about horrible commute to work. It was a lovely cottage style home with a lively garden growing all around. I saw a woman who had to be his wife looking at us through a window but he purposely led us away from the house and another 20 minutes into the woods behind his house. There was a fountain with boulders surrounding it, my attention was fully on the water's ripples that I didn't even notice 2 big boulders that looked more like a cave entrance. Ah smart Loki. No one would notice this next to the beautiful sight. Of course a child found this, she was just the right height to not miss anything. Sif must have been thinking along the same because she gave the guard a grateful nod.

"Your daughter has good sights on things that do not fit in."

"She was just running around and when she got too close to this, I saw a glow start to form, I snatched her away quickly since I have heard rumors of the glowing from other portals."

"So far it seems that rumor is true. What makes you think this portal will lead us into the outer worlds?"

"It just looks different. Sometimes it seems the water from the fountain feeds into the portal. Like this is a source that took stronger magic to maintain."

I got closer and could see what he meant, it looks like a floating canal just being absorbed by the boulders. As we got closer, the guard retreated and 'left us to it'. In the beginning we took cautious steps but then just grabbed on to each other and broke through. It wasn't like the Bifrost, I didn't fall, it was like when Harry walked through the platform to get to the Hogwarts Express. We walked forward and suddenly the colors around us started swirling, sounds of running water and birds chirping faded and slowly everything morphed to a water fountain… Not natural like in the forest but an actual water fountain in the middle of a city.

"Where are we? This- This looks like home, but more.. more futuristic?"

"That building has the Nova Corp symbol on it."

"So we are in a secure planet?"

"No. Never trust anyone Bella, especially anyone in a realm that has different authority than ours."

"But I thought Nova Corps were the good guys? The books said they only keep the peace."

"Still, it is unwise for us to be here. We are outnumbered and their weaponry is far more advanced than any of ours at this moment.

I nodded but felt my chest tighten in nerves. We sighed and walked around from behind the fountain. It looked.. I mean I could almost cry. The sky was blue, there were big buildings taller than any I have seen on earth, and the people! I mean there were tons of people walking around and they all had different colors! There were pink people.. people who looked human actually stood out because there were so little of them. There were people with long pointy ears, others with long noses and people with electronic body parts. My chest hurt from the rapid beating of my heart. It was amazing and unbelievable but then it was also terrifying. In Asgard I learned new things but they still looked human but here, here I really felt out of place, we even stood out with our clothes, we were dressed as old Viking warriors, hot, but still old, they had clothes that looked… well, futuristic!

"We should split up."

"What? Are you crazy Thor? The last thing we should do is split up."

"Bella, We need not stay here for a long amount of time. Our original plan of spending a night here no longer is necessary, we are in a city with multiple races. If we split up and just have people hear we come from Asgard then word will spread. There are too many of us to be together, then we may gather too much unwanted attention. Volstagg, I suggest you remain here and guard the passageway. Hogun, Fandral, and I will look for a social establishment-"

"You mean a bar?"

"We do not need a bar?"

"A bar is a place you go to get drunk."

"Ah, then yes, a bar. We shall find 2 separate bars and converse with people, explaining we come from Asgard. Bella, you and Sif will stay together. I suggest finding a place to exchange your clothes."

"With what money?"

Thor looked at me dumbfounded for a second before looking sheepish and moving on.

"Lets move quickly and efficiently. We meet back here in 2 hours. If you finish before then, just come here and wait. We do not want to wander far away."

We nodded and disbanded in opposite directions. Many people gave Sif and I appreciative glances but some women looked confused. I guess our clothes really did stick out. We walked for a while and spoke a little loud about Asgard and the Bifrost, not mentioning that it was broken. We definitely got looks for that.

"Come on, I see more people that way."

I followed her around a corner to a thinner sidewalk, there were 5 huge, and I mean really really huge, pieces of metal.. I couldn't figure out what it was really but they looked sleek and some had nice paint jobs. Were these space cars?

"Sif, what are those?"

"Space ships, of course."

"SPACE SHIPS?! What the fuck Sif? Like flying through the planets space ships? Why didn't you tell me?"

She hushed me and drew me away from the crowd until we got to a secluded corner. I was having trouble keeping my anger in check which means I was trying my hardest to keep the flames away.

"It is more complicated than that Bella. You would know about these space ships if they were seen so often in your planet but they are not because it is not an easy thing!"

"But it's possible? I have been looking for a way home for MONTHS Sif! If there is a way, no matter how difficult, I want to explore the possibility! How far away is earth?!"

"Listen to me Bella, These ships cost a lot of units, units we do not have at the moment, the cost of fuel to get to a planet so far, in another galaxy would be a few more times than the cost of the ship. The time it would take Bella, Months more will pass before you could get to Midgard."

"Yeah, all that and it is also forbidden to travel to Terra!"

We spun around to the sing song voice and found a man, a good looking man, a little older than me just standing there looking me over.

"So you are really human?"

There was curiosity there but something else too. He was checking me out and almost looking at me like he didn't really believe.

"Who are you? And why is it forbidden?"

"Who I am is Star Lord. And it's forbidden because it's an undeveloped planet."

"Undeveloped?! What the fuck is that? We may not have space ships but we are pretty damn happy about our way of life okay, undeveloped my ass!"

"Have you looked around you? Why would you want to go back to that backwater planet?"

"That is none of your business!"

I went to storm away but he caught me around my arm and pulled me back to his chest.

"Look, I didn't me- What the hell?! Are you crazy? How are you doing that?! That is actually awesome but what the hell?!"

I had covered the arm he pulled in flames and lightly burned all his arm hair away with just a sting from the heat.

"Let go of me or I will burn your hand off!"

"Alright alright! Look I'm sorry! I'm just trying to figure you out. Are you a mutant? I remember hearing about those on the news when I was a kid but I never met one."

"What? Are you? Are you Human?!"

"Yeah."

I stumbled back and looked at him, really looked at him. He didn't hold his shoulders high in confidence like Asgardians do.. He looked like a worn out human.

"How?"

"Oh well that is too long of a story. I'm willing to talk more about it over breakfast though, Hm? What do you say?"

He gave me a little grin and wiggled his eyebrows suggestively.

"How?"

"Hm, well you are no fun. I was abducted I guess, whatever."

He tried to play it off but I could see how much it bothered him to talk about it.

"Why haven't you found a way back?'

"All the reasons your friend here gave you aaand why would I want to go back? Space is awesome."

"Don't you have long lost family to reconnect with or just want to live a normal life with your own race? How could you live here without TV and books, _music_!"

"Music? Hey do you have any with you?"

"No, my Ipod was left back home."

"What is an Ipod?"

"What? How do you not- What year were you taken?'

"1988. But what is an Ipod?"

"Holy shit! You have been stuck for-"

He let out a frustrated grunt and glared at me.

"Look lady I am not stuck anywhere. Even if I could, I wouldn't go back."

He lingered is gaze on my one last time then his eyes closed and he turned to go. "Wait!" I caught up and ran in front of him. I don't know why it mattered to me, but I felt for him, he was hiding something and his absolute denial about going home proved it. Maybe it was just me connecting myself to the first human I have seen in months but I found myself shrugging at him apologetically.

"Ipods are little rectangles this big, they are sold by 8, 16, 32, and even 64 gigs, of space to hold music. They can hold thousands of songs and you can take it with you anywhere, as long as it is charged."

His eyes widened in wonder, like that was the most important thing I could have told him. He looked back at me like I was the key to world peace. Not that world peace would even matter anymore because apparently another race can easily blow up planets and take them over on a whim..

"How can I get one?"

"Well obviously not here.."

He regarded me with interest for a moment before motioning me to a table of a cafe across the street. Sif followed stiffly but I knew she wanted to get away from this.

"How did you end up here?"

"I am with Asgardians."

"Asgard? I thought they were stuck there now that their famous Bifrost was broken?"

"Nope. We have our way's. So what is your real name Star Lord?"

"Peter Quill. What is your name?"

"Bella Swan."

"Well Bella, I think I can help you get units if you were interested. Units= space ship= home."

"What can you possibly need from me?"

"Your fire could help me win a whole lot of fights.. exchange things I find for units, we split the reward. That, and an Ipod loaded with songs. I help you get home if you promise to come back with my Ipod. Easy."

"Doesn't sound easy. How do you even trust that I will come back?"

"You don't seem like a person that would skip out on a deal. But hey, I have been known to be wrong.. almost never but yeah.."

"I'll see what I can do about that Ipod Peter but I can't stay long. I better get back to my temporary home realm."

I got up and Sif sighed in relief as she jumped up too. Peter looked at me like I was crazy but I could also see the undercurrents of panic in his eyes.

"You're already leaving? You aren't even going to think about it?!"

"When you think about going home, send a message to Asgard for them to contact me. I would gladly help put you on your feet. I won't stay stuck in a planet forever. Whatever you are avoiding on earth.. when you deal with it, you will be truly happy and move on. For now, this is like your neverland Peter."

He took a moment to absorb what I had said and connect it to the reference then stormed off in anger. I couldn't imagine staying here, he had to be avoiding something big to not want to go to a freaking planet. I had to remember to do a check on Peter Quill when I got to earth, because I _would _be back. I could feel it closer than ever.

"Come on Sif, let's go back to the fountain."


	25. Chapter 25

**They call her Human Torch! Chapter 25**

**Bella POV: September 13, 2015**

Never in my 7 months and 3 weeks that I have been here, has Heimdall ever shown fear. Sure sometimes he smiles softly or frowns in disappointment, but fear? No. I didn't feel fear, but I did feel a burning rage and even hate building up inside of me at the moment. Shortly after our return from Xandar I invested all my time into the information that there was on the infinity stones. I knew how they came to be, I knew what stone did what, and I knew that Thanos was after them. The point that all that information drew, was that those stones could easily destroy planets, they were the most potent and powerful weapons in existence and another thing that I now knew, was that S.H.I.E.L.D, the agency I work for, that I thought was all about people's security, was trying to weaponize the Tesseract. I couldn't believe Heimdall when he told me that the Tesseract had 'awoken' on earth. I was relived when he told me they had it. I thought for sure they would lock it up and guard it, but no, they were studying it, prodding, and testing it. It was a beacon to earth now. If we knew it was there then surely Loki and his friends did too.

"How did they even find it? Who is on the job to study it?"

"A man acquired it years ago, he was part of this group you call shield and now, they have the same man you call Selvig looking into the power behind the cosmic cube."

"Shield called in Selvig? Why? I don't understand why they are looking into it now if they have had it this whole time!"

I paced back and forth, not knowing what this meant. Why or how did the cube just wake up now? What changed for them to weaponize it?

"They can't do anything with it can they? They don't know how to use it. With the Bifrost broken Loki can't even get to earth to get it right?"

"We can only wait and be prepared. I cannot see Loki, I fear that is where our disadvantage lies."

"That's it? Wait and see if he attacks my home planet? Then what? What can we possibly do from here? Watch?!"

"Bella."

I turned at the sound of Thor's voice and saw him standing there with the King. I know they came to Heimdall to speak about something private so I flew off and straight into my room before landing and locking every entrance. I was starting to feel the fear now, but fury was still principle. What would I do if I had to sit by and have Heimdall giving me running commentary about how everyone that I love was being blown up? What a way to spend my 24th birthday…

**Back on Earth. October 3, 2015.**

Phil Coulson walked with Director Fury through the base as he explained the reason for calling an evacuation. Maria Hill followed behind as she watched everything with scrutiny.

"Dr. Selvig read an energy surge from the Tesseract four hours ago, sir."

"NASA didn't authorize Selvig to test the Tesseract."

"He wasn't testing it, he wasn't even in the room. Spontaneous event."

"It just turned itself on?" Agent Hill butted in.

"What are the reading levels now?"

"Climbing. When Selvig couldn't shut it down, we ordered the evac."

"How long to get everyone out?"

"Campus should be clear in the next half hour."

"Make it better."

Coulson nodded and fell back as he got to work.

…

Agent Hill followed Fury and spoke to him about how effective evacuation may be.

"Until such time as the world ends, we will act as though it intends to spin on. Clear out the tech below. Every piece of phase 2 on a truck, and gone."

"Yes sir."

She turned in frustration and proceeded to do her part as Fury finally entered the lab facility. He spoke with Selvig but was left unsatisfied with his inability to harness the power of the misbehaving cube.

"Barton, Report."

From the top corner Clint watched over everyone, he slid down a rope and walked over to Fury, knowing what he would be asked.

"No one's come or gone. It's oven is clean. No contacts, no I.M's. If there was any tampering, sir, it wasn't at this end."

"At this end?"

"Yeah. Cube is a doorway to the other end of space right? Doors open on both sides."

Every Agent and lab assistant in the base stopped for a moment to steady themselves as the ground shook and the cube glowed brighter than it had before. The energy surged and gave a resounding crack as a disheveled man appeared in the lab. He was pale and sweaty as he slowly looked up with a crazed look in his eye. The only thing about him that actually seemed to be alive was the spear in his grip.

…

On the other side of the base Coulson ran back and forth as men loaded truck after truck. He saw the fear in their eyes grow every time the ground shook. Minutes passed before he heard a static over his radio.

"_Hill, do you copy? Barton has t-"_

The voice was Fury's, his radio cut out halfway but still he continued to dispatch trucks. A group of 5 came out with loaded cases but as they went down the stairs the earth moved once again and caused the men to falter. The rocking didn't stop as they hurried to gather the equipment once more.

"No no no! Leave it! Go!"

He knew the lives of the men were more important as he rushed after them and loaded himself into a waiting helicopter. Looking back at the base he took out his radio and hoped it still worked.

"We're clear upstairs sir. You need to go."

From up in the air Agents watched in shock as the ground beneath the base wavered and caved in on itself.

…

In a separate helicopter Fury watched as hundreds of offices, government equipment, and work collapsed. He caught sight of the car with Loki and a now hypnotized Barton and Selvig got away. Fruitlessly he tried to shoot at the car to stop it but had to jump out when Loki blasts it with his spear.

"Director. Director Fury, do you copy?"

"The Tesseract is with the hostile force. I have men down. Hill?"

"A lot of men still under, don't know how many survivors."

"Sound the general call, I want every living soul not working rescue looking for that briefcase."

"Rodger that."

"Coulson, get back to base. This is a level seven. As of right now, we are at war."

"What do we do?"

Fury didn't answer as he thought about the Avengers. He wasn't sure how he was going to pull it off without half of the team. Barton was out, Bella was still missing and without her, he was not sure if Stark would still be on board.

"Contact the ones left. I think it's time I have a talk with the Captain."

"He requested to be left alone for sometime."

"It's been 2 weeks. This is a good reason to interrupt him Agent."

"Yes sir. I will call in Romanoff."

Phil was not sure what to make of the situation. He knew he would have to go to Stark personally but without Bella, he didn't know how that would go. Everything would be easier if she were here. He shook his head to clear it and waited to get to another base before contacting Romanoff, she was in the middle of a mission and would not appreciate being interrupted but this took priority. And she would want to know about Barton.

…

After some digging he was able to contact the phone closest to her and ask to speak with her. As he had originally thought, she was not pleased.

"We need you to come in."

"Are you kidding? I'm working."

"This takes precedence."

"I'm in the middle of an interrogation and this moron is giving me everything. Look you can't pull me out of this right now."

"Natasha, Barton's been compromised."

"..Let me put you on hold."

He hears swiping and grunts of pain as he waits for her to come back on. Shortly after there is a crash and sounds of chains hitting concrete.

"Where is Barton now?"

"We don't know."

"But he's alive."

"We think so. I'll brief you on everything when you come back, but first we need you to talk to the big guy."

"Coulson, you know Stark trusts me about as far as he can throw me."

"No, I've got Stark. You get the big guy.

He hears her stop walking on the other end of the line and her breath catch short before muttering something in another language.

…

Natasha used her time in the plane to read up on the Hulk/Banner file and Bella's file. She knew Bella visited every year around her birthday and that she was a no show this year. Not for the first time in the passed few months, she wished her friend would appear as suddenly as she disappeared, It would make this mission so much easier.

Once in the city with backup Agents she asked them to stay undercover while she looked for a small child to lure him in. Bella never spoke about his private life but many times she did say how touched she was while witnessing his compassion for others. She shuddered to think what Bella would say now that she was using that information against him.

Before long the girl ran passed her in the house and through the window as had been agreed. She herd him mutter to himself before she made her presence known behind him.

"You know, for a man who's supposed to be avoiding stress, you picked a hell of a place to settle."

"Avoiding stress isn't the secret."

"Then what is? Yoga?"

"You brought me to the edge of the city, smart. I uh.. assume the whole place is surrounded?"

"Just you and me."

"And your actress buddy, is she a spy too? Do they start that young?"

"I did."

"Who are you?"

"Natasha Romanoff. I'm here on behalf of SHIELD."

"Shield. You are Bella's friend. Where is she?"

His concern for her almost make Natasha's mask fall but it didn't matter because when she froze he inched forward.

"Why isn't she here?"

His concern and slight anger at her muteness made his eyes flicker green for a moment.

"She is.. gone. I am not here because of her."

"What do you mean gone?!"

His neck strained but the anger was gone. He gripped the table and looked to her so deeply that that she felt her own eyes battle to create moisture.

"She can't die. She heals."

She shook her head and thought that his low voice was controlled enough for her to get closer. She took out her phone and pulled up the file on Bella before she slid it over.

"She was working a mission. Aliens, or _Asgardians _came to earth, they wreaked havoc but once the situation was settled.. they got in a circle, it's called a bifrost. She was shaking one of the man's hands. We don't know if he took her on purpose or if she was just standing too close."

He looked over the videos over and over again until he slumped on the table.

"This says the video is from January."

"She has been gone a little over 8 months."

"H-how could- how is Kitty? What is SHIELD doing about this? Don't tell me you are magically waiting for her to come back?!"

"We are doing everything we can to-"

"DON'T LIE TO ME!" His hands banged the table and Natasha was startled enough to pull out her gun and aim it at him. He leaned back and looked down as he ran his hand through his hair.

"I'm sorry. Why don't you put that down before the other guy makes a mess?"

"…Natasha?"

She slowly put down the gun and worked on relaxing her heartbeat. Lifting her finger to her ear she spoke directly to the team outside.

"Stand down. We're good here."

He looked to her in slight amusement.

"Just you and me huh?"

"We need you to come in."

"Why now?

"We are facing a potential global catastrophe."

"Well, those I actively try to avoid."

Nat sighed but reached over to swipe on the phone.

"This is the Tesseract. It has the potential energy to swipe out the planet."

"What does Shield want me to do? Swallow it?"

"We want you to find it. It has been taken. It omits a gamma signature that's too weak for us to trace. There's no one that knows gamma radiation like you do. If there was, that's where I'd be."

He sighed and looked down as if not convinced. She brought up a shot from the last moments in the lab where Loki appeared.

"His name is Loki, he is a brother of Thor. Bella disappeared with Thor all those months ago. If Loki took the Tesseract and we find him, We may know where Bella is or what happened."

That alone was enough motivation for him. He left to pack his bags and Natasha hoped finding Bella could actually be a possibility. Taking out her phone she decided to update Coulson now instead of later.

"Romanoff."

"He agreed to come but was not convinced until I mentioned Loki is Thor's brother. There's a chance we may get information on Bella if he is captured. Maybe when you go to Stark you can lead with that."

"It may save us time. Not sure if I want to put him through that if it leads nowhere though."

"That bad?"

"From what Pepper tells me. She is doing her best to distract him but it doesn't last long. I'm about to see for myself."

…

Fury paused for a moment outside of the abandoned gym. His Agent pointed him to the wrestling room where the Captain was in and he could hear him pounding away on the bags but he tried to center himself before going in.

"Is something wrong sir?"

"Not more than usual. Report."

"Sir, He knows I am watching him. He has given up pretending like I am not. When he needs something he lets me know but other than that he has not left the cabin, unless it is to come here. I must say sir, if he keeps tearing those punching bags apart, we will need to restock for him."

Fury nodded but dismissed him for the time being. Steve Rogers' body had been found 1 month ago. It took 2 weeks to carefully thaw it out and keep his body temperature stable enough to know all his organs were still working. These past 2 weeks he had chosen to spend in an isolated cabin while he came to terms with what had happened while he was frozen, not that Fury blamed him, he liked to think that if it were him, he would explore the world until he caught up on what he lost but in reality, he didn't know how different his coping would be.

Stepping into the room he went unnoticed while the Captain focused on the bag. He saw what the Agent meant when it suddenly gave out and crashed against the wall. He went to pick up another and continue on. Fury couldn't help but notice how precise his movements were even though his eyes were miles away, the way he seemed to come here mostly at night made Fury think about the many symptoms there were for PTSD. Super soldier he may be, but still a soldier.

"Trouble sleeping?"

"Slept for 70 years, sir. I think I've had my fill."

"Then you should be out, celebrating, seeing the world."

"I went under, the world was at war, I wake up, they say we won. They didn't say what we lost."

"We've made some mistakes along the way. Some very recently.

"You here with a mission sir?"

"I am."

"Trying to get me back in the world?"

"Trying to save it."

Fury passed over the file he had made for the Tesseract and watched his face closely for any signs that he was familiar with the object. He was surprised however to see anger.

"Hydra's secret weapon."

"Howard Stark fished it out of the ocean when he was looking for you. He thought what we think, the Tesseract could be the key to unlimited sustainable energy. That's something the world sorely needs."

The Captain tensed as he handed back the file to Fury.

"Who took it from you?"

"He's called Loki. He's not from around here. There's a lot we'll have to bring you up to speed on if you're in. The world has gotten even stranger than you already know."

"At this point, I doubt anything would surprise me."

"Ten bucks says you're wrong. There's a debriefing package waiting for you back at the cabin."

He collected his things and made to leave but had yet to give Fury an answer on where he stood on the matter.

"Is there anything you can tell us about the Tesseract that we ought to know now?"

"You should have left it in the ocean."

…

Phil sighed at Stark's reluctance to let him in. No one but Pepper, Piotr, Kitty, Logan, Darcy, and Jane had seen the man in over 3 months but depressed or not, the world needed him. He took out his phone and connected it to the elevator panel then stepped back to wait until S.H.I.E.L.D was able to override the system.

When the elevator doors opened he stepped in and felt nervous as to what he would say. No one had really understood the way Bella's leaving had affected him but it did, more than anyone else. She was missed and needed to everyone of course but with him, it was like a part of him had died when she disappeared. Pepper had once told him that Bella filled the void he had when it came to a loving family, She cared not for what he could do but how she could help him. She was like that with everyone but he needed it more than anyone else and it was gone just as fast as he got it. The doors opened and he took a breath for a moment before stepping out and facing this.

"Tony. Pepper."

"Phil! Come in!"

Pepper got up and came to hug him while Stark followed quietly.

"We're celebrating. Tony was able to make Stark tower the first building to have self sustainable systems in place."

"That's quite an achievement, You must be proud of that."

Stark smirked and nodded his way.

"What is so urgent that you had to override my elevators?"

"I need you to review this folder as soon as possible."

"I don't like being handed things."

"That's fine because I love to be handed things, so lets trade!"

Pepper gave a flute of champagne to him while she took the folder then handed it over to Stark while taking his half empty flute.

"What is this about? I thought I wasn't a consultant anymore."

"This isn't a consultation."

"Is this about the Avengers?… Which I know nothing about..."

Stark opened the folder and took out the tablet while he talked with a sudden emotionless voice.

"The Avengers initiative was scraped when there were only 3 members left I thought? Plus without Bella I don't even qualify. Remember I'm volatile, self-obsessed, don't play well with others."

He noticed Pepper's shoulders fall as the gleam in her eyes dimmed. He felt guilty for a moment for ruining one of her distractions for him but knew it was all part of the job.

"This isn't about personality profiles anymore."

"Whatever."

He noticed him messing around with the tablet and then blowing up all the information and videos onto his sensors. Phil found himself imagining what it would be like to beat himself up when he saw Tony pause the video of Bella fighting in New Mexico. He should have taken her file out but it was automatically attached whenever he made any profile with the Avengers keyword. After a moment he wiped his eye casually and kept scrolling silently through the rest of the information. Pepper cut Phil a look but went up to Tony and put a comforting hand on his shoulder.

"Looks like you have homework. I'm going to take the plane to DC tonight."

Phil looked down and tried to give them privacy when he saw Pepper wiping a corner of his eye and him shaking her off. A few minutes later he was back downstairs and driving Pepper to the Stark Jet. She was quiet most of the way but kept wiping at her eyes.

"I'm sorry for interrupting."

"Don't be. I know it's important. I just- I don't know what to do anymore."

"I know."

"I can't comfort him or anyone else like I would a person who is grieving. She can't be dead b-but then I can't tell him she is okay and give him hope that she will come back either."

I reached inside my suit and gave her a handkerchief when her tears began to flow continuously but I had a knot in my throat as well. That there was the problem that we all had. How could we let our friend go and give up on her return? And how could we live our lives waiting for something only to be broken when more time passes and still nothing?

"I know."

…

The next morning Phil Coulson got up bright and early and packed his bag eagerly. Fury had called late last night and informed him that Steve Rogers had to be picked up from the cabin and taken to the Helicarrier. Phil volunteered to do it immediately and had been unable to really fall asleep after that. He had his bag ready in no time and went on to carefully place his mint condition Captain America cards in the front pocket of his bag. After getting all his things he locked up and drove down to the Quinjet where 2 Agents were already waiting to pilot.

"Morning."

"Sir." They responded together and made their way into the flight deck.

Everything was loaded quickly and the jet took off in no time. Phil paced and looked over files as he made time. They would get to the cabin soon but his anticipation was getting the best of him.

"Sir, we are 20 minutes out."

"Good. I will let Agent Fin know not to be alarmed."

"Fin was put on sitting duties?"

"He was assigned to be there in case the Captain needed anything."

"Yes sir, that's babysitting."

The 2 Agents up front laughed but Phil ignored them and got on the radio to make contact. 15 minutes later they hovered over ground while Agent Fin turned off the alarms. Phil hopped up and straightened his suit before fixing his hair and finally opening the ramp. He stepped out but stopped for a moment as he admired the man in front of him. He had grown up with the videos, he had read all the reports, collected all the cards and books, but seeing him in person was different while he was awake and not half frozen, he was star struck and had to think about Fury to snap out of it and not make a fool out of himself.

"Captain."

He stepped forward and extended his hand, feeling a thrill when he shook it.

"My name is Phil Coulson. Fury sent me."

"Nice to meet you. Where exactly are you taking me?"

"Our temporary home base at the moment."

He nodded and made his way in the Quinjet. After Phil gave him the tablet with all the files he got to work and didn't say much for over an hour. Phil got to work himself but kept looking over, not really believing this.

"We're about 40 minutes out from home base, sir."

Phil nodded and got up from his work space. Steve saw movement from the corner of his eye and looked up to see the Agent coming towards him.

"So this Doctor Banner was trying to replicate the serum they used on me?"

"A lot of people were. You were the worlds first superhero. Banner thought gamma radiation might hold the key to unlocking Erskine's original formula.

"Didn't really go his way, did it?"

"Not so much. When he's not that thing though, guy's like a Stephen Hawking-"

Phil stuttered for a moment when the Captain looked up at him in confusion.

"-He's like a smart person."

Phil took a deep breath and followed the direction that the Captain had paced to.

"I gotta say, it's an honor to meet you, officially. I sort of met you, I mean I watched you while you were sleeping. I- I mean, I was … I was present while you were unconscious from the ice. You know, it's just a… just a huge honor to have you on board."

_Oh shit! _Phil internally winced and outwardly grimaced when he heard one of the Agents snort from the cockpit. Rightfully so the Captain looked pretty uncomfortable.

"Well, I just hope I'm the man for the job."

"Oh you are. Absolutely. Uh.. we've made some modifications to the uniform. I had a little design input."

"The uniform? Aren't the stars and stripes a little… old fashioned?"

He could tell that it took a lot out of him just to say that..

"Everything that's happening, the things that are about to come to light, people might just need a little old fashioned."

He nodded and sat back down to keep reviewing files.

"Why are these 2 folders crossed out?"

He went into them anyway and swiped quickly through Barton's file but froze when he got to Bella's. Phil quirked his head as he saw him play all the videos with her in them.

"Barton is under the control of Loki. He has a spear that somehow took over the bodies of Barton and Selvig. Bella, she was taken 8 months ago-"

"Taken? By who?"

"Loki's brother, Thor, he came to earth and other Asgardians followed, that is this video here, it shows her helping to fight against what they called 'The Destroyer' when it came time to say goodbye, she was sucked into the hole as well. We do not know if she was standing too close or if they took her on purpose."

Steve could see the sorrow through the mask that the Agent put on and felt bad for bringing it up.

"You were close to her?"

"Like family. She is like family to almost everyone she meets, she is kind, genuinely kind. She does anything to help anyone that needs it, but if you are on her hit list or go against the ones she loves.. then she becomes what you see on those video's, she is..-"

"She is beautiful."

Phil snapped his head towards the Captain in time to see him look down and his cheeks turn red from the slip of mouth. He smiled and continued on.

"Yes she is stunning. From what I hear she has always been a pretty girl but after the transformation she was.. _enhanced._"

"What transformation? The file say's she is a mutant. I was in the understanding that it is more common now than it was in my day?"

"Well, she is a mutant, she has the gene technically but it was a lot of things that gave her the gene. We don't really know if she was born with it activated or not."

"I don't understand."

Phil sighed and sat next to him as he took the tablet. He blew up the files on the big screen and started talking while showing him pictures and videos.

"She started an internship at Von Doom Inc, she really loves science and her father had just been murdered so she threw herself into her work and worked up the ranks quickly. In no time she was being invited along to observe an experiment in space. Something went wrong and their time was cut short when a cosmic cloud headed straight for the ship, there were rooms that were not property sealed and protected.."

Phil stopped talking as he showed the video that had gone viral all those years ago. Steve bunched up his hands in anger as he saw the man called 'Victor' leave Bella behind as she tripped. He couldn't look away as the pink air filled the room and she started withering in pain. Her skin looked to be burning everywhere the pink air touched and he almost cringed when her screams started but he saw her look of determination as she took a deep breath and passed out a few seconds after.

"She woke up in a hospital states away from New York. Victor never expected her to survive and when she did, he tried to cover everything up. She burned through a lot of clothing and it took her a long time to really get control over her fire."

"I can imagine."

Steve felt drawn to the videos of her, he wanted to know more about this girl that he had never even met. Phil looked to the captain and quirked an eyebrow, he sensed that he wanted more information and happily kept talking about his dear friend.

"She came back to New York for the trial and Victor was found guilty for the deaths of the 4 others you saw on the video. This video here is the press conference for when the public found out about her…. This was when Victor was found guilty. I don't even have to explain this one.."

He paused when he realized that the Captain was already watching the video and not hearing a word he was saying.

"That's amazing. She can just melt bullets like that? And entire guns?"

"Yes but at that point she didn't even know. You can tell by her facial expressions she was as surprised as everyone else."

Steve kept looking at the video and couldn't help but feel bad for this girl as he saw her looking around at the people just starring at her. Her silent tears evaporated onto her flaming cheeks. She looked scared when the older woman approached her and it wasn't until she woman said something to calm her down then she took the flames away from her arms. The men that had spoken for her in the last video as her lawyers came running and gave her their suit jackets to cover her naked body under the flames. It bothered him a bit how intimate one of the men were when they put their hand on her chin and lifted her head to look into her eyes. Why did it bother him? He didn't even know her. He may never even meet her if she was missing. _That _thoughthad him feeling anger again.

"Now these are the videos you will enjoy. This is at the Stark Expo."

"Stark Expo? Those are still around?"

"Yes they are, less often now though."

"Is that her? She can fly?!"

Phil smiled when he saw the Captain going back again and again to see the video of her flying. He frowned however when he got to the part where Bella lands at the event hall and begins fighting and destroying the army's of robots.

"She is an amazing fighter."

"Yes, this was one of her first missions actually. She is much better now. Very controlled, gets things done. You'll see in the next video."

Sure enough Steve looked to the screen in awe when she landed in front of a pile of robots that were about to explode. He hears his own gasp when she alone is able to control the explosion and save the lives of all the people in that room.

"We were very proud to have her on our team that day. Like I said, it was one of her first missions and her ability to sacrifice herself to save all those people had us all shocked beyond belief."

"She passed out after that. Where did Howard's son take her?"

"She was injured and he took her to her apartment to help stitch her up."

Minutes passed by in silence as he continued to see all the videos that S.H.I.E.L.D had on file for her. He grew angry when he saw news reports and protests against the military for the medal that Stark and Rhodes were set to receive without Bella because she was a mutant. His anger went away though and he had to smirk when he saw another short clip of Tony Stark dedicating the medal to her in front of everyone. There were small clips after that all of sighting of her in the street.

"She is seen with Stark a lot, are they close?"

Phil smirked when he detected a little jealousy in his voice.

"I have never seen 2 people that have had such an instant connection. They work perfectly together. He is a different person when she is around."

"So they are together? Or they were before she disappeared?"

"No, no. Stark is in a relationship with Pepper. He and Bella are like brother and sister. They fight and tease each other but no one understands him more than she does, and he supports her through anything."

Steve nodded to himself and could not understand why he would care if she was with him or not. He felt relief knowing she considered him a brother but a part of him knew how strange it was for him to think that way.


	26. Chapter 26

**They call her Human Torch! Chapter 26**

**October 6, 2015- Earth.**

Phil had been answering questions about Bella for the remainder of the flight but finally they landed and had to stop the conversation.

"Sorry to cut you off Captain but we are here. There's quite a bit of people that are waiting to meet you."

"You can call me Steve, Mr. Coulson. Thank you for taking the time to answer all my questions."

"Oh, thank you, and please call me Phil. It was a pleasure to answer your questions about Bella. A lot of us miss her and not many like talking about her. I have to warn you, it would probably be best if you avoided the topic at all."

Steve nodded and both of them made their way off the Quinjet while 2 other Agents made their way on board.

"Stow the Captain's gear."

"Yes sir."

Phil saw Agent Romanoff coming their way.

"Agent Romanoff, Captain Rogers."

"Ma'am."

"Hi. They need you on the bridge, they're starting to face trace."

"See you there."

Phil nodded to both of them and took off. Nat turned to Steve and gave him a quick once over before she started walking with him towards Dr. Banner.

"It was quite the buzz around here, finding you in the ice. I thought Coulson was going to swoon. Did he ask you to sign his Captain America trading cards yet?"

"Trading cards?"

"They're vintage, he's very proud."

Steve smirked in amused confusion until he caught sight of a confused man that looked more uncomfortable than he felt. Once the man turned he was able to recognize him.

"Dr. Banner!"

Once he turned, Steve extended his hand and shook his quickly.

"Uh yeah, hi. They told me you'd be coming."

"Word is you can find the cube."

"Is that the only word on me?"

"Only word I care about."

Bruce nodded and looked around still feeling uncomfortable. He never pictured himself out here without Bella pushing him on and guiding him through it.

"Must be strange for you, all of this."

"Well, this is actually kind of familiar."

Agent Romanoff came closer to them and looked over the edge of the Helicarrier.

"Gentlemen, you may wanna step inside in a minute. It's gonna get a little hard to breath."

Suddenly it started shaking and engines could be heard all around as the water began to splash. Both men stared incredulously over the edge.

"Is this a submarine?"

"Really? They wanted me in a submerged pressurized metal container?"

The more they stared, the more water seemed to seep lower. Both men stepped back in shock realizing they were rising, not lowering.

"Oh, no. This is much worse."

There were alarms in the background, warning everyone to step inside soon but suddenly there was a second alarm overpowering the first one. Both men looked to Natasha only to see her retreating figure already running towards to door. They then looked to each other in concern before simultaneously taking off at the same time as well. Once inside no one paid them any mind as their eyes were transfixed on the systems.

"What is going on?"

Phil came up behind them with a gleam in his eyes.

"There's been a sensor triggered in New Mexico."

**1 hour earlier in Asgard. Bella's POV**

"Bella! Bella where are you?!"

"Hogun I'm right here? What's wrong with you?"

He ignored my questions and grabbed my arm as he began dragging me out of the dinning hall.

"Hogun?"

"Heimdall. He has seen something and the King has requested us all."

"All?"

"Yes. The court and the guards."

I swallowed back my nerves. The last time he summoned everyone it was when they shared the information on Loki. Half way there we met up with Sif and Volstagg, they were as alarmed as we were and had no idea what was going on. Once in the throne room I saw everyone there already including the Queen, Thor, and Fandral. We bowed to the King hastily but I don't think our knees even touched the floor from how quickly we rose back up. Heimdall began to speak immediately and I realized he looked flustered.

"Loki has appeared in Midgard. The humans tried stopping him but he has the cosmic cube now. He also has a scepter and has controlled the minds of some humans that worked in the facility."

I shuddered in thought and put my head in my hands. Thor came down the steps and put his arm around me but before he could say anything the King sighed and looked at me apologetically.

"Lady Bella. I promised to do whatever it took when the time came."

He looked to his wife for a moment and continued talking when she gave him a reassuring nod.

"You have learned about the existence of magic and have heard of the difference between light elves and dark elves. There is also a difference in magic and dark magic."

Everyone's heads seemed to snap up at the same time but I was still confused as he kept talking.

"Dark magic always comes with consequences, there is always a cost. You must understand that it is not approved and it is not common."

"I understand that.. I just don't understand why you are bringing it up now."

"With sufficient dark magic, I may be able to send you back to Midgard."

"What?"

I stumbled back, not knowing if to believe this right now or not.

"This whole time, I could have been sent back?!"

"You are not listening to what my husband is saying Bella. There are consequences to dark magic, consequences on both sides. We do not know how it will take from his health. You have demonstrated your healing abilities and we feel you may be safe but it will not be easy. Dark magic is to be used by a King as a last resort."

I looked down from the Queen, not knowing how to respond. I wanted to be angry, I _was_ angry, but no matter how betrayed I felt, I understood. That is how I knew I really did consider him to be my King, I understood where he was coming from and was worried for how this could effect his health. He began to talk in the softest tone I had ever heard from him.

"You have become of value to Asgard Bella. You have become a friend to our warriors, a sister to my son, and family to my wife and I. You did not waste your time here, you fought with us and became an Asgardian not just an ally. Know that I did not keep this from you for malicious intent. The safety of my Kingdom will always come first."

"I respect that. I respect you. Asgard is not where I belong, but I will always be in debt to it, to everyone here. I am Midgardian by birth, but I will always be an Asgardian Warrior. I _will _come back and help defeat any threat that may come this way, you need just ask."

I meant that too but god I really sounded like Sif there for a minute. I guess hanging around them for so long has rubbed off on me.

"Thank you. We will need time to prepare. Thor, you will accompany Lady Bella. It is your mission to return with the Tesseract and Loki."

The Queen looked away and I saw Thor look down after nodding to his father. We were dismissed for a few minutes and I took the time to say goodbye to everyone. It upset me that I would not get to take anything with me but I knew the trip would be hard enough for us as it is.

"Bella."

I turned and saw Sif standing there with the guys behind her, all smiling softly at me. She came forward and hugged me tight.

"You will be missed Bella. I am foolishly upset that you will no longer be telling us about Midgardian television but I know this is all you have been waiting for. I am happy for you, though it may seem I am not."

"Thanks Sif. I don't know what I would have done without your guidance and all those books! So many books!"

She laughed and hugged me once more before Volstagg shoved her aside and picked me up.

"Bella! I as well will miss you but once Thor returns with the Tesseract, the Bifrost will be repaired and you can show me the promised glory of Midgardian food!"

Hogun and Fandral laughed as Sif rolled her eyes but I nodded and promised him I would feed him the best feast he will ever have. He seemed happy enough as he passed me over to Hogun.

"Once the Bifrost is open, I will show you my beautiful realm. Vanaheim is full of beauty that awaits you."

"I look forward to seeing where you grew up Hogun, thank you."

He gave me a lighter hug and passed me on to Fandral who smirked and wiggled his eyebrow at me.

"I make no promise of visiting Midgard. When you are far from me you will see what you have lost and come running back."

I laughed at his constant flirting. It never stopped. He hugged me lightly but pulled back quickly and planted his lips on mine. He jumped back before I could push him off and had a huge smile on his face.

"You will think of our kiss next time we see each other."

I rolled my eyes but had to laugh.

"I will let you get away with it this time Fandral, but next time, you will lose those lips."

"One day you will see Bella."

Thor glared at him but smiled at me.

"Come, we will meet with Heimdall about what kind of preparations my father must take."

I nodded and let him lead me away from everyone else.

"Are you ready?"

"I've never been more ready for anything actually."

He smiled and hugged me to his side.

"I will visit as often as I can. Life around here will seem dull without you sister."

"Not for a while at least. I know once the Bifrost is open you will all have a lot of work to do, getting rid of the Marauders and Ravagers. I want in on that by the way! I was serious when I told your father that I will fight for Asgard whenever you need me."

He laughed but nodded down at me.

"I've a feeling you will be weary about returning once you are back home."

"I know. But, you gotta do what you gotta do. I actually think it's my family that won't like the idea of me coming back. Who knows what they must have thought when I was sucked up here along with you guys. Are you looking forward to seeing Jane?"

"I can't imagine she would wish to see me. I gave her my word that I would return and yet I took you from her and never brought you back. What she must think of me..."

".. What she might think of you can all be easily explained. Don't worry about that Thor."

We stood by the throne room and waited for Heimdall to come out but minutes passed and he never did. A guard came out and summoned everyone again. I was nervous and payed very little attention to what was being said about court members but I did focus when he started talking about Thor being temporary King if he fell into his Odin sleep. That was when it really hit me that this would take a lot out of him, it may take a lot out of Thor too. They spoke for a little longer but after a while Thor summoned his hammer and we stood side by side ready for whatever was gonna happen.

**Present time- Earth.**

"There's been a sensor triggered in New Mexico."

Steve was confused as to what that meant but even Dr. Banner seemed to know what it was about.

"How? Is there anyone there?"

"No. We called in all our Agents."

"What about visuals?"

"We are working on that now."

Steve had enough and turned to Phil.

"What does this all mean?"

"I told you that Bella disappeared in New Mexico. We build a lab around the spot where it happened and it has sensors that have been quiet the passed 8 months but now they are acting up."

"Why isn't anyone there?"

"We called in all our Agents and when the threat of Loki happened, we moved Jane foster, our lead researcher on this, to a fake mission out of the country. We moved her as a safety precaution but now we need her, to know if this is what happened last time the portal was open."

Gasps were heard all around the main room as the monitors connected live with the cameras at the base. There were 4 of them and one was pointing towards the sky. They saw as thunder covered the sky's and wind picked up all around. With and open roof in the lab, papers flew everywhere. Everyone looked close as a beam came down and 2 figures laying suddenly on the ground.

"That's Bella!"

Steve looked around as there were shouts of victory from almost all the Agents and shocked faces from those too overwhelmed to say anything. Phil looked like he could almost tear up while Fury, Dr. Banner, and Agent Romanoff were smiling.

"Why isn't she getting up?"

Everyone looked on with their smiles slowly turning into frowns the more time passed. The man stumbled up but it was clear by the way he held his stomach that he was in pain.

"Get sound feedback now!"

"On it sir."

They watched as the man stumbled up and lifted a hammer that was lying next to him. The sound popped up suddenly and they were able to hear the shuffle of his feet against the concrete as he got to Bella and ungracefully plopped down by her head. He rolled her over to lay on her back and cradled her head with one hand while he gently shook her with the other.

"_Bella. Come now sister, you did not fight your way here only to give up now. Awaken."_

After a few seconds she groaned and rolled back to her side as she clutched onto her chest and stomach.

"Why is she dressed like a modern Greek goddess?"

Steve looked away from her face and saw that she was in clothes that draped on her perfectly. The top of her waist looked feminine but with tight black pants that clung to her legs, she looked like a warrior. She was stunning.

"_God that fucking sucked! Literally I think. I feel like my insides were vacuumed."_

People around him laughed but Steve was left stunned. He had never heard a woman use that word, he hadn't even heard many men use it. He thought about how times must have changed if no one was batting an eye at her use of language. He remembered some Platoon officers and NCO's reprimanding those who used it and knew they could get extra duty for using foul language. Even those men used it minimally though, words like _damn, shit, _or _bastard _were more frequently used, even by himself but never would anyone dream to say them in front of a woman, that was thought of as disrespectful.

"_Are you alright?"_

"_Yeah, I'm good. Where are we?"_

She looked around and froze for a moment as she looked at a something that was out of sight from the camera. She sucked in a breath and her eyes spilled over with tears as she put her hands over her mouth in shock.

"_That's the S.H.I.E.L.D logo! We're in a S.H.I.E.L.D building. Thor we're really- it worked! Oh my god!"_

Everyone seemed to soften at the same time as she broke down in tears and 'Thor' hugged her to his chest. She stepped back and looked around once more as she wiped at her eyes.

"_I don't even know what to do first! I don't know who to contact."_

Fury turned to the Agent that had activated the cameras.

"Is there a screen or a computer monitor that we can use to send her a message?"

"I- I'm not sure, sir."

"Well figure it out!"

"_Bella, I will find my brother, you deserve to go home, find your family."_

"_No Thor. I have my own score to settle with Loki. I can't go home, not yet. I need to finish this first. I think I need to talk with Tony first. I know shield is probably already working on this, they should have called in everyone else but in the off chance that they didn't, I want Tony fighting with us against the Chitauri."_

"_Bella, you go find your friend, I will go look for my brother."_

"_No Thor! We have to stay together."_

"_We may cover more ground apart. If you cannot find me, follow my brothers mayhem."_

Bella sighed but nodded as he started swinging his hammer and took off into the air with it. They all watched as Bella sighed and looked down at herself.

"_I bring my favorite flammable outfit here and leave my suit in another damn planet. Typical Bella."_

The Agent spoke just as she slipped off her shoes and took off.

"I think I can connect a monitor sir."

"It's too late now."

Steve still found it baffling how no one seemed to be shocked that they both flew out of the lab. He had seen footage but he still didn't believe it. He looked forward to seeing her fly in person.

Fury turned towards the crowd of Agents and everyone seemed to shake their heads to clear them.

"She will find her way to us, until then we need to put our priorities back in place. Everyone get back to work!"

Dr. Banner stepped forward and was about to protest but Fury cut him off.

"Dr. Banner, we need to find the Tesseract. She is on her way to find Stark and he knows where we are. I'm sure she will be here in no time."

He sighed and ran his hand through his hair but nodded after a minute.

"Right. Where are you on the Tesseract anyway?"

"We're sweeping every wirelessly acceptable camera on the planet. Cell phones, laptops. If it's connected to a satellite, it's eyes and ears for us."

Agent Romanoff tightened her eyes.

"That's still not going to find them on time."

"You have to narrow the field. How many spectrometers do you have access to?"

"How many are there?"

"Call every lab you know, tell them to put the spectrometers on the roof and calibrate them for gamma rays. I'll rough out a tracking algorithm based on a cluster recognition. At least we could rule out a few places. Do you have somewhere for us to work?"

"Us?"

"When Bella gets here, we work well together."

Steve felt a warm feeling in his chest as he thought about her working well with everyone. It really spoke to the type of person she was if she could adjust to any type of personality when it came down to battle.

"Agent Romanoff, would you show Dr. Banner to his laboratory, please."

She stepped passed him as she led Dr. Banner out of the deck.

"You're gonna love it Doc, we got all the toys."

Steve was left to wander the Helicarrier while everyone around him had a job. Before Fury left the room however, he slipped him a 10 dollar bill and was not even bitter about it. This ship alone was enough to surprise him but add in people from other planets?

**Bella POV-**

I flew as carefully as possible, not wanting to burn my clothes. It didn't take me long to figure out I was back in New Mexico and that I was an Idiot for leaving the base without looking for a phone. I was flying low on the streets looking for a payphone or even just someone walking around with one but so far New Mexico proved to live up to the ghost town name that Darcy had put on it. Finally I spotted a gas station and knew they had to have a phone in their mini mart. Landing fast I tried to smooth down my hair but I knew my clothes made me stand out enough as it was. There was a man behind the counter that was so engrossed on the corner TV, he didn't notice me or turn to look when the door bell rung.

"Hello? Sir, I am in desperate need of a phone, I don't know if you have one but-"

He still didn't speak or look at me as he took out an old dial phone from behind him. The cord was long enough to reach to the other side and I used that space to try for some privacy. Stupidly, I never memorized Tony's cell phone number but I did know his office number and the extension that connected me to Jarvis. His voice came over the phone and I almost started crying just from his familiar greeting.

"Jarvis? Jarvis it's me, Bella. I really need to talk to Tony, please connect me to his phone right away!"

"Bella, It's a pleasure to hear from you madam, you have been missed."

I had to smile at this machine. Tony is amazing for creating something so unique.

"I've missed you too Jarvis but please I need to talk to Tony."

"Yes of course Madam. Connecting now."

There was silence over the phone for at least 2 minutes and the longer I waited the more my anxiety rose. I couldn't think of what to say, not after 8 months.

"Who is this?"

His voice came on and sounded angry but also almost hurt in a way. I didn't understand it but the thought escaped my mind when I burst out into tears. From the corner of my eye I saw the old man give me an odd look but he turned right back around towards the TV.

"Tony!"

My voice came out in a high pitch as it went through the knot in my throat but I knew he recognized it when he let out a puff of air

"Bella?"

"Tony I'm home! I'm back!"

"Bella?"

He sounded so hesitant and doubtful, like he was almost scared to believe it.

"I've missed you guys so much. Where are you? Has Shield contacted you yet?"

"I- yes, how do you know that- how did you get back? From where?"

"It's a long story, really it is. Where are you? I need to get to you quickly so we can get to headquarters and I can let everyone know what is going on on our end."

"I'm in New York. In the new Stark building. Where are you?"

"I'm in New Mexico. I just got back a few minutes ago. I'm so glad to hear you finished the building. I will be there in no time okay? I just need to fly high to figure out which way to go."

"Wait! Just stay on the phone with me then."

"I can't. It's a landline in a gas station."

"Then just wait there and I will come get you."

"That's double the time we would waste.. Trust me Tony, I want to see you as soon as possible too, I will be there soon. Keep the roof open."

Before he could say anything else, I hung up. I hated to do it but knew I had to get going. I thanked the old man and ran outside before shooting up into the sky. A clock on the far wall had said it was 11:28 am which meant it was 12:28 pm in New York. I knew that there was a major chance I would get lost but I figured that by landing every few minutes I could check to make sure I was going in the right direction.

**Stark Tower-**

Tony paced the area for a moment as he felt his heart beating rapidly against his chest. He had a thin sheen of sweat on his forehead and a shaky voice as he called out to Jarvis.

"Jarvis, call Pepper."

"Yes sir."

He paced once again and the few seconds it took to ring and for her to pick up were too long for him.

"Shouldn't you be busy with Shield stuff?"

"Pepper."

The way he seemed to gasp out the words had her worried instantly.

"What's wrong Tony?"

"Bella called me, she's back."

"WHAT?! W- Bu- When- that's great! Where was she? Where did she call you from? Are you going to pick her up?"

"She said it was a long story, she was in New Mexico but said she would fly here instead of wasting time going to get her."

"I- that's so great. I'm really glad. Do you want me to come home? I'm sure she will need all of us. Have you called Kitty?"

"Pepper-"

"Yes I know I am babbling! I can't help it."

Tony smiled genuinely for the first time in weeks. He felt a weight lifted off his shoulders, like telling Pepper about his phone call with Bella made it more real.

"I haven't called Kitty, and no, I do not want you to come here right now, something is going on, I'm not sure where or when but I just want you to stay at the hotel in DC or in the meetings you set up alright?"

Pepper nodded as she thought about the danger that could be coming.

"Pepper?"

She blushed when she realized he couldn't see her head nod.

"Yes, okay. Just call me please. Update me on everything, no matter how small the detail is."

"I will."

"Love you Tony. Look, I know how much you have missed Bella, I know how much you need her. I love her like a sister and I am so happy she is somehow back but, I'm even more glad for you."

Tony stopped pacing and frowned softly, realizing how difficult he must have been to her these passed few months.

"I love you too."

**With Bella-**

She had landed on and off and finally was able to land in New York. She had thought she was home in the last stop but it turned out to be New Jersey. She wasn't sure what time it was exactly but it had to be early because the sun was still shining brightly in the sky. Once she flew over the Empire State Building she felt the knot in her throat again, she didn't shed tears but the euphoric feeling was overwhelming her. She had the urge to fly right over and straight to the school where she knew Kitty must be but she tampered it down right away. She knew the moment she got to hold her daughter again, she wouldn't let got for at least an hour and they didn't have time for that.

She flew over her home and dropped down to land but took off again when she caught sight of the gigantic building that once was Von Doom Inc. Now it had huge blue letters that made it clear Stark was here in New York and they were dominating. I was nervous to land on the balcony, nervous and scared that somehow Tony would look different and that my 8 months away would be noticeable, silly as it may seem, I was so scared of what I have missed, scared to find that I couldn't go back to the life I had before.

I landed on the balcony and looked to the glass, immediately locking eyes with him on the inside. We didn't move for a moment but I felt my lips tremble and my eyes fill with tears. I couldn't even come up with anything to say or do but I felt my body moving towards the steps to the inside. He kept his eyes locked on mine as he moved to meet me half way. 9 steps away from each other I caught a whiff of his usual aftershave and something about the familiarity or knowing that something so minimal as his scent hadn't changed, had me breaking down and falling into his arms as I squeezed him tight. He wrapped his arms around me and froze for a moment before taking in a deep breath.

"Tony?"

I leaned back enough to look at his face and saw his eyes were filled with tears. I realized he had frozen in order to gain his composure.

"Don't you do that. Not with me."

He let out a snort and softly smiled at me.

"Come on, didn't you miss me enough to shed a few tears?"

I tried teasing him to lighten the mood but he frowned down at me.

"We all missed you Bella. You are never allowed to do that ever again."

I giggled against his chest and finally took a step back.

"I didn't do anything wrong. Wrong things were done, but I didn't leave earth on purpose."

"How did you get back? And how are you even alive? Didn't you lack oxygen in space or something?"

I sighed and ran my hand through my hair.

"That's a load of shit and a half! Trust me, there was plenty of oxygen. What we know.. there's so much more… I really want to sit with the family and tell you guys all about it but right now there are bigger things coming our way. We need to get to shield's HQ."

"They are operating from the Helicarrier, they brought in your big green buddy."

"Bruce?! Did they do something to him?!"

"No, of course not. What makes you think S.H.I.E.L.D would do that?"

I shook my head and decided to hold off on telling him about them trying to weaponize the Tesseract.

"It just wouldn't surprise me at the moment."

"Okay.. That's not mysterious of you to say."

I rolled my eyes and looked all around.

"This place looks incredible! It's a whole new building. Hard to believe this is the same floor where I first met Von Doom."

Tony looked around with her and smiled sympathetically down at her.

"Well, wouldn't wanna remind you of that time would we? I can access the Helicarrier from here and send a message to Fury, ask for an update."

"Yeah. I would rather go straight to location than land there right now."

Tony looked to her oddly and couldn't shake how strange she was acting.

"Why not? I would think you would be jumping at the chance to go see all your pals."

She shrugged and looked a little lost. She didn't want to hurt Tony's feeling and she really wanted to see Kitty but she felt a little lost now that she was more settled and more than anything she just wanted to run to La Push and be babied by Emily, Sam, Paul, and Leah.

"I'm just not sure what I would even say. I would rather have Loki first. I need answers from him."

Tony nodded and though he wanted to ask a million questions, he understood her lost look. He had not been gone nearly as long as she was but he remembered after returning from Afghanistan, after finally getting home like he had been waiting for, everything seemed different, like his time away was monumental and he had missed the most important of things when in reality, he just couldn't figure out how to get back to the life he had before. He knew that she would tell him what happened later but in the meantime, he would help her adjust and keep things as normal as possible, starting with their usual schedule of activity's that they once had.

"You hungry?"

"Yes actually, I'm starving! Hogun dragged me out of the dinning hall before I even took a bite of breakfast. Not that I'm complaining really… Food was not really what you would expect from gods..."

Tony cut her a look that was half amused and half confused. She giggled and felt a little more relaxed, happy to be in 'the know' and not be the confused one for once.

**Helicarrier-**

Phil stood awkwardly next to Steve

"… I mean, if it's not too much trouble."

"No, no. It's fine."

"It's a vintage set. Took me a couple of years to collect them all. You're in mint. Slight foxing around the edges but-"

He was interrupted by Agent Sitwell's proclamation.

"We got a hit! Sixty seven percent match. Wait, cross match, seventy nine percent."

Every one was at attention as Phil, Fury and Steve got closer to the screen.

"Location?"

"Stuttgart, Germany. He's not exactly hiding."

Fury turned to Steve.

"Captain? You're up."

Steve nodded and took a deep breath before going to suit up. Meanwhile, Fury cut Coulson a look and sent out coordinates to Stark Tower.

"Coulson, inform Agent Romanoff that she will be piloting for Mr. Rogers."

"Yes sir."

**Stark Tower-**

Bella and Tony had been talking about the new layout of the building when Jarvis interrupted and informed them about Fury's message.

"Germany? Why is he in Germany?"

"Let's go find out. Germany is what? 6, 7, hours ahead? It's dark there already."

She nodded as he suited up.

"Hey, do you have one of my suits around here by any chance?"

"No. We can stop by your apartment."

"No, it's fine. Let's just go. I know for a fact that they have some of mine in the Helicarrier so I can wait until then."

**Quinjet-**

Steve paced around while the jet flew towards their goal. He was taking deep breaths but could not seem to fully relax. Agent Romanoff turned towards him and noticed his frown.

"Worried Captain?"

"Not yet Ma'am."

She gazed at him a moment more but eventually turned back to what she was doing. She figured maybe he was just reliving old memories of his last time in Germany. The flight in the Quinjet only took 2 hours and once they landed in their confirmed coordinates, Steve was able to exit the Quinjet before they put it up in the air once more.

Steve made his way quickly towards the direction where people were running from, he saw the same man from all the video's and pictures standing before a crowd and making them kneel before him. Anger swelled up in him as he marched forward. He froze for a moment as he watched an older man man come up from his knees

"You were made to be ruled. In the end, you will always kneel."

"Not to men like you."

Loki laughed.

"There are no men like me."

"There are _always_ men like you."

"Look to your elder people. Let him be an example."

Loki raised his scepter as it glowed and Steve rushed forward to block the beam with his shield. He held it tight as the blast ricocheted and blew Loki to the ground.

"You know, the last time I was in Germany and saw a man standing over everybody else, we ended up disagreeing."

"The soldier! The man out of time."

Loki laughed darkly as he stood and gripped his scepter.

"I'm not the one who's out of time."

On cue, the Quinjet came into view and Agent Romanoff's voice came on through the intercom as a Gatling Gun is deployed and aimed at him.

"Loki, drop the weapon and stand down."

Loki looked that way for a moment but quickly brought up his Scepter and sent a beam out that way. Quickly they dodged the hit by rocking the entire Quinjet out of the way. Steve threw his shield at Loki and caught it back just in time to block from a hit. Steve punched Loki but it hardly fazed him as he took the scepter and went for Steve's Legs. He tied to dodge the hit but went down when Loki hit behind his knees. He rolled and landed on his knees before sending his shield at him once more. Loki was ready this time and used the scepter to bat at the shield and away from the two men. Steve ran forward and punched him before twisting back to avoid a hit to his chest. He used the hand that he landed on to push himself back up and send a punch to Loki's stomach. His armor made it difficult for him to feel any of the hits that Steve managed to get in so when he tried to hit behind him, Loki turned and swung his scepter into Steve's back, sending him a few feet away. Before he could get up once more, Loki held his scepter to Steve's head.

"Kneel!"

"Not today!"

He leaned back and took the scepter with one hand while he flipped off the ground with the other.

Agent Romanoff looked on with frustration. The two men were fighting too erratically for her to be able to fire any weapons at Loki. Suddenly she heard rock music start to raise in volume through the speakers and a voice come on through her headset.

"Agent Romanoff. You miss me?"

The screen in front of her froze with static before a message appeared. 'PA SYSTEM OVERRIDE' as much as Tony Stark annoyed her at times, she had to smile fondly as she heard the song and saw him come into view with Bella following along. She wanted to land the jet and go give her friend a hug but knew her mission was priority.

Steve looked up in confusion as did Loki as music blared from the sky. They both looked up to see 2 flames shooting in from the sky. The closer they got, he was able to identify the Iron Man suit and the figure of Bella. He recognized the same clothing she had worn on the camera and for a moment, he let himself be distracted by her figure gracefully landing from the sky. His attention snapped back into focus as Iron Man and Bella pointed their lit up hands at Loki. Stark shot out his repulsor beam straight onto Loki's chest and had him land in the pavement, several feet away.

"Make a move Reindeer Games."

Loki put his hands up in surrender and used his magic to take away the armor he wore before. Tony nodded to himself and turned off his repulsors.

"Good move."

Bella narrowed her eyes as she marched right up to him and punched him hard enough to make his entire frame fall over. She spoke with a quietly strained voice.

"The only reason I am not killing you is because I have grown fond of your family and watching them grieve once was enough."

Loki scoffed her way and narrowed his eyes.

"They are no family of mine!"

"Come off it Loki. I think it's time you go home to your own realm."

"I refuse to be called Asgardian any longer. I see you have not lost your meddling ways! Perhaps it do you good to remind yourself what the consequences were last time."

She grabbed him by the collar and threw him at Tony. He took the hint and took Loki towards the Quinjet. Tony sent a nod Steve's way in greeting and Steve returned it for a moment before focusing his attention back on Bella. She had her back turned to him and he could see her hands were balled up into fists with some of her veins glowing orange and red. It fascinated him but he also knew she was having a hard time with something. She hadn't even noticed him really, as soon as she saw Loki, her eyes stayed on his every move.

Bella had her eyes closed as she battled to keep the flames at bay. She hadn't felt so out of control in a long time and now, seeing Loki was driving her over the edge. She jumped and swung around as she felt someones hand on her shoulder. Without thinking she grabbed the hand and pinned the person down with her knees on his arms and her ass on his chest. She used her hands to pin down his wrists while she desperately tried to control her breathing and get her heart rate to slow down.

"Wow. Uh, you have good reflexes… ma'am."

She opened her eyes and looked down at his face for the first time.

_Holy shit! This man is really good looking!_

She couldn't help but feel like a perv when she thought about getting hot in other places and not because of her fire… This guy is seriously ripped! Like his arms are as thick as my thighs. I looked back up at his face and saw his deep blue eyes staring straight into mine. I had the urge to run my hand through his perfectly combed hair and mess it up. I knew I was passed the point of polite staring but I was actually surprised that I was attracted to this guy. I can't say I'm into blond haired guys but everything on him was perfect, even his form fitting suit… suit? I looked around me and saw a blue helmet that covers half the face of whoever is wearing it, it must be his since it went with the blue on his suit.. _Shame to cover such a pretty face._

"Who are you?"

He cleared his throat and had a slight uncomfortable look to his face as he answered.

"Steve Rogers ma'am. At your service."

_Oh I can certainly find a need for your service.._ Stop that Bella! You're thinking like a sex deprived hag! Wait…

"Rogers? I read that file once… aren't you suppose to be dead?"

Instantly I realized what I said and leaned back. Letting go of his wrists I brought both my hands to clamp over my mouth.

"Oh god! No! Not like th- I didn't mean it the way it sounded, I'm sorry, I just uh-"

"It's fine, really. A lot of people have actually asked me that. I was frozen I guess.. they found my body and unfroze it, shocked when I was still alive."

I leaned back until I was off him completely and offered him my hand to help him up. Once he took it, he shook it.

"It's good to meet the person everyone has been talking about. Everyone is glad you are back ma'am."

"My name is Bella."

He nodded and looked at me. We stared into each others eyes for an awkward minute before he blushed and looked away. I smirked at him and tried to make the moment less uncomfortable.

"So, I imagine adjusting has been a bit difficult? The horror of rap must have caught you off guard after listening to such beautiful music in the 40's."

He gave me a small smile but then looked away embarrassed again.

"Not really sure I have adjusted at all honestly. I haven't heard whatever rap is.."

"Oh, well really you aren't missing out on anything, rap is like Dorsey trying to play Ragtime music with his trumpet."

Steve grimaced at the thought but started laughing really loud.

"That would be a disaster."

"Exactly!"

He smiled at me as he went to pick up his helmet. We started walking back towards the Quinjet and I could see questions swimming in his eyes.

"So you are a fan of Tommy Dorsey?"

"Oh yeah, I love his jazz but I can't say I'm a huge fan of his swing."

"Really? I liked both equally actually. I got to see him live once in Chicago."

"That's amazing! I'm not saying his swing is bad per say, I just think his trumpet is great when he is playing jazz but it doesn't ride, you know? I mean getting lost in the dance is the fun in swing and with him leading it just isn't as exciting as it was when others came on, like Benny Goodman. That man was amazing! I mean they called him the King of swing for a reason!"

We had just walked on to the Quinjet and Tony had heard the last thread of conversation.

"Who the hell is Benny Goodman?"

I sighed in exasperation.

"Tony I have told you who he is a million and one times! You know the music I play when I-"

Tony rolled his eyes and put his hand up.

"One thing I didn't miss was your affection for old music!"

"It's classic! That was when music had meaning and every instrument was used wisely. Now all you hear about on the radio is songs about sex and how much money they have. It's ridiculous."

"Whatever you say Grandma! I swear you have the soul of a 90 year old so of course it makes sense that you finally find someone to talk to about this stuff, in a man that was actually there!"

Steve couldn't take his eyes off Bella as she huffed at Stark and folded her arms around her chest. He looked down and saw her arms had lifter her chest higher. He furrowed his eyebrow and shook his head. _Act like a gentleman! You have no business gawking at her like she was a piece of meat._

He missed the end of their banter but was pulled out of his thoughts as Stark patted his shoulder.

"No offense Captain. You are pretty spry for an old fellow. What's your thing? Pilates?"

"What?"

"It's like calisthenics. You might have missed a couple things, you know, doing time as a Capsicle."

"Tony!"

"Yes dear?"

He turned to smirk at her but turned it into a pout when she hit the back of his head, much to Steve's amusement. Bella had a grin on her face but once they were in the Quinjet, it slipped off her face as she sat directly across from Loki. He stared her down and she did the same, neither looking away.

Natasha got up her seat and stood in front of Bella, once she looked up Bella smiled and hugged her tight.

"You have some explaining to do."

Bella nodded but had a frown marring her face.

"I know, but that can wait until Loki is dealt with."

Nat gave her an odd look but went back to her seat and got the jet ready for take off. Everyone took a seat for the take off and Tony chose the seat next to her while Steve sat on her other side 2 seats over. 20 minutes into the flight Tony got restless and got up to walk around. Steve must have gotten the same idea because he too got up to stand by one of the control panels. Bella noticed how often he turned to look at Loki, as if waiting for something to happen. Fury's voice came over Natasha's headset.

"Said anything?"

"Not a word."

"Just get him here. We're low on time."

Steve leaned over to Tony and spoke low for Loki not to hear, Bella obviously could because of her enhanced hearing but she doubted he knew that.

"I don't like it."

"What? Rock of ages giving up so easily?"

Bella laughed lightly at the reference but quickly shut up when both men turned to look at her. Tony smirked her way while Steve looked confused.

"She had freaky advanced hearing."

Bella narrowed her eyes and stuck her tongue out at him. Steve looked to her and smiled lightly but then turned to Tony.

"I don't remember it being that easy. This guy packs a wallop."

They went to say something else but suddenly thunder and lightning nearly hit the jet, making it shake violently. Bella got up from her seat with a big smirk on her face directed at Loki. The other men noticed Loki's face as he cautiously looked up through the Quinjet's windows. Steve nodded towards him as he spoke.

"What's the matter? Scared of a little lightning?

"I'm not overly fond of what follows."

Both men looked to each other confused but Bella let out a snort.

"Well I _love_ what follows! Let's see shall we?"

A bright light hit the jet and they all look up as a dent is made on the roof of the Quinjet. Bella walks over by Tony and hits the ramp button.

"What are you doing?"

Tony and Steve both put their helmets on as a caped figure lands on the ramp. He nods towards Bella and she nods back "You get 10 minutes Thor." he grabs Loki by the throat and swings his hammer before taking off.

"Now there's that guy."

Nat called out from the front.

"Another Asgardian?"

"That guy's a friendly?"

Tony moved towards the ramp.

"Doesn't matter. If he frees Loki or kills him, the Tesseract's lost."

"Stark, we need a plan of attack!"

"I have a plan. Attack!"

Bella reached him a second before he took off.

"No you don't! That is Thor! Loki's brother. He is on our side. He won't kill him and he certainly won't free him. Just give him a moment to speak with him. Their family has gone through enough already, he is just trying to get him to cooperate before turning him back to us. He is a very good guy Tony. He helped me get back."

Tony gave her an odd look.

"Why are you so worried about _me _knowing he is a good guy?"

"I'm just saying don't attack if you don't know the whole thing yet."

"No, that's not it. You're hiding something."

"No I'm not."

"He helped you get back. Why? Is he the one that got you stuck in another planet to begin with?"

"He didn't help me out of guilt Tony! There was no other choice, Loki was going to destroy an entire race!"

Tony shook his head and balled up his fists. He didn't even finish hearing what she said before he took off after them.

"TONY!"

Bella sighed and went to jump after them but heard Nat start talking to Steve.

"I'd sit this one out Cap."

"I don't see how I can.'

"These guys come from legends, they're basically gods."

Bella turned in time to see Steve grab a parachute.

"There's only one God ma'am, and I'm pretty sure he doesn't dress like that."

Bella stopped him before he could finish putting the chute on.

"Just hold on."

She wrapped her arm around his waist and stifled a laugh as he let out a grunt that sounded squeaky. She took off and had to admit to showing off a little by going slightly fast. His grip around her waist would have probably left a bruise if she were human though. Less than a minute later she landed and put him down. He cleared his throat and tried to look more composed, much to Bella's amusement.

"Thank you, for that."

"Well, wouldn't want to waste a parachute would we?"

They smiled at each other and she walked ahead of him towards where the sounds of clashing was coming from. Steve walked behind her at a slower rate while fixing his pants. Really he felt embarrassed with himself. _Now is not the time to be aroused! Not only is it not the time but it is also highly inappropriate._ He took a deep breath and cursed under his breath as he walked ahead to catch up with her once his.._problem_ wasn't as noticeable. He walked through the trees and saw the damage was very noticeable. Bella already was in the middle of them with each hand on their chests.

"He is the one that attacked me!"

"Yes Thor I know but that is not the point! You should not have attacked back knowing we are on the same side and that he is my friend."

Thor looked to her offended.

"Sister you know me well, Thor Odinson back down from no fight."

Bella rolled her eyes and was about to say something but Tony leaned forward against her arm aggressively.

"She is _not_ your _sister!_"

Bella looked to him confused at his outburst but Thor smirked, understanding it was probably jealousy. Steve saw this and walked forward to stand next to Stark.

"Hey! That's enough! Now I don't know what your intentions are but-"

"We've come to put an end to Loki's schemes!"

Tony reared back angrily again.

"We?! _We?! _No. She came because this is her home and she belongs here! She was gone because of you!"

"No Tony! He gave me a choice! It was my choice to return home in exchange for the lives of hundreds, in exchange of an entire planet! I chose to be stranded! He told me he would not destroy the Bifrost if I didn't agree. Time was running out and he still stopped to give me that choice! He is not to blame Tony. If you want to be mad at someone, be mad at me."

Tony stepped back and relaxed his fighting stance.

"You didn't want to come back?"

"Of course I did!"

Bella looked to him hurt for just thinking that. He took off his helmet and gave her a soft look as an apology.

"I had no choice Tony. How could I live with myself with that on my conscious? How could I return here and live with you all like a happy family knowing so many families died because of me?"

They all turned when they heard Loki scoff behind them.

"Families? You saved them for no reason. Asgard will never be at peace with Jotunheim, when they are at war next time, they will kill the ones you saved. Congratulations."

Bella glared at him but once she saw that the situation was somewhat manageable, she got things moving.

"Let's just get back to the Quinjet. We have work to do."

"Can we call the jet back?"

Steve wasn't sure how they would contact Agent Romanoff but he thought he would ask anyway. Tony gave him a skeptical look.

"Why would we call them back? We can just fly back to meet up wherever they are by now."

"In case you forgot Stark, not all of us can fly."

Stark gave Bella and Thor a certain look and nodded at them before he took off. He saw Thor grab Loki by the collar but before he could think on it, Bella wrapped her arm around his waist and whispered in his ear.

"Ready Captain?"

She was amused at the flush on his neck and cheeks, understanding now the obsession everyone around her had with making her blush because she certainly enjoyed making him do it.

"Yes Ma'am."

"Bella. If I'm going to be carrying you, you should at least feel comfortable using my name."

He smiled down at her as she wrapped her arms around his waist and pulled his body against her curvy one.

"Yes Bella."


	27. Chapter 27

**They call her Human Torch! Chapter 27**

**2 hours later- Helicarrier.**

Steve walked next to Bella down the hall way that led to the main deck. Every single Agent they passed would stare at her in shock while others smiled wide and told her how happy they were to have her back. Bella took it all in stride but her focus was mainly in front of her. Thor walked ahead of her with Agent Romanoff and a few Agents all securing that Loki didn't make some type of run for it. Fury met them half way there and gave orders as to where Loki would be locked up but soon after he came up to Bella and wrapped his arms around her. She seemed stiff but he noticed her whisper something to him that had him pulling back and looking at her in concern. Steve couldn't question any of it though because as soon as Dr. Banner walked into the room he launched himself at Bella and she met him halfway. She jumped on him and he had to stumble back when she wrapped her legs around his waist. They smiled at each other but their eyes shined with tears. Steve noticed Stark smile their way before going to talk with Phil. Steve could clearly see the love between Dr. Banner and Bella and although a part of him felt that wrapping her legs around him was a little inappropriate, he could see that she looked at him the same way she looked at Stark.

"I was worried when you never showed up in September. Then I see an Agent from S.H.I.E.L.D and I just think the worse.."

"I'm sorry. I missed you so much, all of you. I'm sorry they dragged you into all this. I know you weren't ready."

"It's okay. I'm just glad to see you."

"How's the big guy?"

"Hasn't made an appearance since last time you came to visit so that's good."

"We'll see what we can do about that after all this."

Fury gave her a horrified look but before she could see it, he cleared his facial features.

"Shall we?"

They both nodded and Bella turned to Steve.

"Ready?"

"For what?"

"A meeting. We are all here now so it's best to get together now and see where we are before separating again to get to work. Did you see where Tony went? He was right here just a second ago."

"I saw him go talk to Phil."

"Oh! I didn't see Phil!"

"They will join us in a moment."

We all walked towards the main deck where I had been in earlier and sat around the table. Thor chose to remain standing near Bella as we listen and wait for Fury to come back. The screens in the table and speakers come to life and Fury is seen escorting Loki into a glass cell and showing him how far down it will fall if he tries something. Loki smiles.

"It's an impressive cage. Not built, I think, for me."

"Built for something much stronger than you."

"Oh I've heard."

Loki looked up and directly at the camera.

"The mindless beast, makes play he's still a man. Ho-"

I stopped paying attention when I saw Bella's hands fist up next to me. Looking into her eyes I saw the fury there. Dr. Banner stepped up next to her and put a hand on her shoulder. She looked up at him and they softened but her eyes still looked pained.

"I didn't know Bruce.."

"I know."

"When we are done with this you know I will do whatever it takes to make sure they don't-"

Dr. Banner crouched next to her and spoke with a soft tone.

"Bella, I know. Don't worry about that right now. I trust you, we both do."

She gripped his hand for a moment but visibly calmed down. Steve wasn't entirely sure how to feel. Everyone around him seemed to be on edge around Banner, waiting for him to lose control and 'hulk out' but Bella trusted him completely, it's like she knew what drove him over the edge and knew that if he did, she could handle it somehow. Steve didn't know anything about how in control they were but he knew that he should at least be wary around him. He hadn't been listening but the screens shut off and everyone is silent. Banner sighs.

"He really grows on you doesn't he?"

Steve looked to Thor while he spoke. If anyone would know his plan it would be his brother wouldn't it?

"Loki's gonna drag this out. So, Thor, what's his play?"

Thor seemed to come back from his thoughts and look to Bella directly. She got up and they started talking to each other as if they were reviewing what they knew.

"He has an army called the Chitauri. They're not of Asgard or any world known-"

"Sanctuary. The book I read on said they are in Sanctuary."

"Yes, that is the planet they reside in, under the control of Thanos, but that is not where they originated from. He means to lead them against your people. They will win him the earth. In return, I suspect, for the Tesseract."

Bella sighed and shook her head.

"That is where I am stuck. Why would he want to rule _Midgard_? It doesn't make sense! If he wanted to rule over a planet why not come here, take the stone, and go rule somewhere useful?!"

Everyone looked to her like she was crazy, Fury walked in then and looked at her almost insulted. Only Thor looked at her like what she said made sense.

"Useful? Are you saying our planet is useless Agent?"

"Yes, actually I am. Compared to the places I have seen, their technology, their advancements? We are the laughing stock of the galaxy, so far from everyone else, that is why no one comes here, I had 3, that is THREE different races in 3 different planets, tell me that Midgard is a backwater abandoned planet. Tell me sir, if you could invade any country, would you go for the poorest one?"

Bella almost smirked when everyone remained silent. _Yeah bitches._ She turned back to Thor since he was the only one who could understand her theory.

"Why earth?"

"Perhaps for revenge? He knows the appreciation I grew when I was sent here."

"More than revenge, more than anything, he say's he was born to be king. He is smart enough to choose a better planet. Thanos gave him a scepter Thor. Why? Think about it? What is stopping Loki from taking the stone and the Scepter and ruling against Thanos? Why is he so sure Loki will go through with whatever deal they have?"

"What are you saying? You think Loki is being controlled?"

"Not entirely no, Loki wants this. He wants the destruction, he wants the mayhem, that is where I do think it is to get you back but the rest? No. I think when the Tesseract woke up here on earth, Thanos got Loki to come here and made that deal. Look at him. Look at your brother closely. His eyes seem darker, his face is much paler than it was the last time we saw him. He looks tortured. I think that was the guarantee, I think Thanos has threatened him and he is afraid."

Thor leaned back thinking about it but still looked unconvinced. I looked into his eyes and he looked more like he didn't want to believe it. He didn't want to feel bad for his brother, he wanted the strength to fight him. Steve and well, everyone else in the room looked like they didn't really know what was going on but still had millions of questions.

"Whatever he has been through, I wanna know why he let us take him. He's not leading an army from here."

Bruce chipped in from behind Steve. Shaking his head.

"I don't think we should be focusing on Loki. That guy's brain is a bag full of cats, you could smell crazy on him."

Thor tightened his eyes for a moment before speaking.

"Have care how you speak. Loki is beyond reason but he is of Asgard and he's my brother."

Natasha looked slightly annoyed as she deadpanned.

"He killed 80 people in 2 days."

"..He's adopted."

Bruce tried moving on from the subject then.

"I think it's about the mechanics. Iridium, what did they need the iridium for?"

The door opened and Tony and Phil were walking in. Tony and I answered at the same time and smiled at each other after we did.

"It's a stabilizing agent."

He turned very quickly and finished speaking to Phil.

"_So I'm just saying, take a weekend off, I'll fly you to Portland. Keep the love alive."_

Phil looked slightly embarrassed as he waved him off and came to hug me.

"I'm so happy to see you. Have you spoken to Kitt-"

"I'm happy to see you too. I haven't. I want to finish this before bringing her into this."

"That's smart. I missed you. I'll let you get back to this."

I nodded and smiled at him.

"Missed you too Phil."

Tony walked up next to me and spoke lowly in my ear.

"I talked with Logan. He will keep all the students and Kitty locked up in the School. He will tell her it was at your request too."

For a moment I felt my heart constrict and my eyes tear up.

"Thank you. I wish I could call her and tell her myself. I know if I do I will lose focus here though."

"She will understand. I made sure Logan will tell her all of that. I can tell you he sounded really happy that you are back too."

I smiled but it turned to a frown when I noticed everyone staring at us waiting to finish up. I mumbled out 'sorry' but Tony of course kept racking it up. I swear sometimes he did this shit on purpose just to see how far he could push people. I loved him for it and found it funny but others just got annoyed.

"Anyway, Iridium means the portal won't collapse on itself, like it did at SHIELD."

He walked closer to the table and passed Thor. He patted his arm and made a smart comment but then kept talking about the Iridium.

"No hard feelings, Point Break. You've got a mean swing. Also, it means the portal can open as wide, and stay open as long, as Loki wants."

He walked over to the main control panel and started swiping at the screens, checking stuff. Then he spoke to the dozens of Agents sitting on the deck working on computers.

"Uh, raise the mid-mast, ship the top sails."

I covered a smile when they turned to him, some confused, some amused, and others almost glaring for interrupting their work. He pointed to an Agent in the corner.

"That man is playing GALAGA! Thought we wouldn't notice but we did."

Steve looked around alarmed for a moment and a squeak of a giggle escaped my sealed lips. It was wrong to laugh knowing he was actually concerned about whatever he thought GALAGA was. I made it a resolution to be his Sif. As in, show him the basic stuff and help anyway I could to catch him up on what he needs to know. Steve noticed me laughing lightly and smiled at me in confusion. I shook my head and went back to listening. Tony was covering one eye and looking around.

"How does Fury even see these?"

"He turns."

Agent Hill spoke for the first time. She made eye contact with me when I first walked in the room and nodded at me. I smiled back but I was just glad she didn't try to hug me. We were never close enough for that.

"Sounds exhausting. The rest of the raw materials Agent Barton can get his hands on pretty easily."

I nodded and went to stand by him again.

"The only major component he really needs now is a power source of high energy density."

Tony nodded and did a little thing with his hands.

"Something to kick start the cube."

I noticed him put something under the screen that looked like a screw. _Oh Tony what the hell are you doing now. _He noticed me looking at the 'screw' and looked worried for a moment, like I would rat him out, but I didn't. I knew he was suspicious and I was as well. I hadn't told anyone yet that SHIELD is responsible for waking the cube but I would damn well get to the bottom of it and say something soon.

Agent Hill looked annoyed that we were finishing each others sentences.

"Since when are you 2 experts on thermonuclear astrophysics?"

Tony caught on to what was going on with her and turned to me smirking. On purpose we once again answered together.

"Last night."

I laughed lightly and he kept talking to the general room.

"The packet, Selvig's notes, the extraction Theory papers. Are we the only one's who did the reading?"

Steve looked around for a moment.

"Does Loki need any particular kind of power source?"

I was about to answer but Bruce beat me to it.

"He's got to heat the cube to a hundred and twenty million kelvin just to break through the coulomb barrier."

Tony nodded but interrupted.

"_Unless,_ Selvig has figured out how to stabilize the quantum tunneling effect."

Bruce contemplated that for a moment.

"Well, if he could do that he could achieve Heavy Ion Fusion at any reactor on the planet."

Tony nodded and smiled enthusiastically.

"Finally! Someone who speaks English!"

I smiled in excitement but everyone around us looked kinda miserable.

"Is that what just happened?"

I giggled lightly and patted Steve on the back as I passed him and took Tony over to introduce him formally to Bruce. They shook hands but I could see the admiration and respect they had for each other in their eyes.

"It's good to meet you Dr. Banner. You're work on anti-electron collisions is unparalleled. And I'm a huge fan of the way you lose control and turn into an enormous green rage monster."

Bruce looked down for a moment.

"Uh, thanks."

I laughed freely now and almost clapped my hands.

"I have been wanting you 2 to meet for years now! I knew the moment you met, this would happen! There's no one else for me to talk science with and I mean come on, both of the smartest people on earth come together? What you 2 can create together is amazing!"

I think I actually did squeal a little on the last word but both guys looked at me with affection so at least they didn't think I was too crazy. They knew it was true too because they agreed to work together. Fury nodded at the 3 of us.

"I was hoping that between all of you there might be more result."

Steve agreed.

"Let's start with that stick of his. It may be magical, but it works an awful lot like a HYDRA weapon."

"I don't know about that, but it is powered by the cube. And-"

"No it's not."

Everyone turned to look at me, even Tony and Bruce looked confused.

"What makes you say that Bella?"

"The Scepter is different from the Tesseract. It's not powered by it. The stone inside is not the mind stone, that is made clear by the portals being made. The stone we are dealing with is the space stone. That is inside the Tesseract. What is inside the scepter has to be the mind stone, that is why he was able to control Barton and Selvig, I suspect he himself is under the influence to a certain extent, to secure the return of both stones to Thanos. Which is a bad thing btw."

Thor's eyes widened and he sat down.

"That makes sense. I did not think that far but your theory from before, how did I not see this?"

I nodded and spoke to him, knowing the others wouldn't understand anyway.

"It makes sense doesn't it? I mean why would Thanos trust an _Infinity _stone in the hands of Loki. In his eyes Loki is just a boy with the dream to be king. He loaned him the scepter so he could get an additional stone in return. He did not give Loki the scepter, he let him borrow it."

Thor almost looked faint.

"Thanos is collecting the stones."

"He has to be."

"We have to stop them. If Thanos got his hands on all stones… Earth would only be the first of many more planets he would destroy."

I nodded but stayed silent. Everyone around us looked horrified with the conclusions we gave but still they were confused. Fury spoke before them.

"You keep repeating the word stone over and over again. What are these infinity stones you speak of?"

I took a moment to recollect everything I had read in the books on Infinity stones.

"Infinity stones were created by the Cosmic entities, they are 6 immensely powerful objects tied to different aspects of the universe. Each of the stones possess unique capabilities that have been enhanced and altered by various alien civilizations through the millennia. Only beings of immense power and strength can hold and wield the stones without being destroyed or incinerated. The stones are said to be completely indestructible, they are the greatest power in the universe, and are unparalleled in their destructive capabilities."

"I have held the Tesseract in my bare hand before. It didn't destroy me."

"Yes because you were holding the cube. The cube is simply a containment module. The stone, the real power, is inside."

I looked around and noticed some Agents looking our way and trying to listen in.

"We need to go to the lab, wherever the scepter is."

They all looked around and nodded. We got up and made out way there with Agent Hill staying behind to oversee the deck. Once inside I turned to Fury and stood next to Thor.

"Like I was saying, the cube is a containment unit. That is why you have not figured out how to weaponize it, because the real power is inside."

There were collective intakes of breathes and shocked looks as they processed what I said. Fury however looked me in the eyes and tried to act ignorant.

"What are you talking about?"

"Don't go there Fury. Heimdall see's all, I didn't want to believe it, I refused to believe it but he told me SHIELD was studying the cube to try to make it a weapon. I had not said anything because I wanted to sort this out with Loki as a team. I want us all in this room to work together but I also want you to know, if we lose, if this planet is destroyed, I want you to know that every life that is lost in the upcoming battle, is on S.H.I.E.L.D's shoulders. The Tesseract was awoken because YOU chose to experiment on it. Earth became a beacon because YOU chose to prod at a power that is way beyond you. SHIELD was made to protect people and you have killed that with what you have done."

Thor glared Fury's way when he started giving a form of excuse.

"Your work with the Tesseract is what drew Loki to it, and his allies. It is the signal to all of the realms that the earth is finally ready for a higher form of war."

Tony looked to Bella in shock but it all made sense now.

"That's what you were hiding. And here we thought it strange that SHIELD would be in the clean energy business, guess you were just trying to cover up your stuff."

Steve balled up his fists and looked absolutely pissed off. Actually he looked hot with his narrowed eyes, standing up to Fury but Bella looked away and sorted her thoughts out. _Now is not the time Bella!_

"I was wrong, director. The world hasn't changed a bit."

He turned to me and his gaze softened but he still looked angry.

"Why didn't you say anything when you first got here?"

"I wanted to avoid this confrontation. We need to work together and we need to put aside all this crap until after we have the cube back. We are already on edge because of the mind stone, we don't need to add to it."

Everyone seemed to stop their thoughts and turn to me.

"What do you mean 'because of the mind stone'?"

"I mean that the mind stone does not have to be used by anyone in particular, it is very much alive and can mess with our minds to go against each other and rile us up to argue like we are now. I feel like maybe that is why Loki let us take him. Maybe he is planning something from in here, he wants us to fall apart and not be able to work together."

Thor nodded and looked to the scepter.

"Yes, it can very well do that. I noticed his interest and look of glee when he saw Dr. Banner receive the scepter before he was put in the cell. Good job sister Bella, you are thinking ahead of our enemy like a proper warrior. My father and your fellow warriors will be proud."

I beamed in pride for a moment as he gripped my shoulder then saw Tony just looked annoyed again.

"Fellow warriors?"

"Uh, yeah… I kind of joined the Asgard 'army' while I was there..."

Steve found it interesting that everyone in the room collectively sighed.. Like this was something that happened often with her.

"Really Bella? I mean I know you were stranded but couldn't you take it like a vacation? Couldn't you just sit back and enjoy the view while you came back?"

"Uh no! Tony, our minds could not create anything near to what I saw, I went to planets where I stood out… ME! People with pink and green skin were walking around like that was the norm! Of course I read everything I could and learned as much as I could. I wanted to take it all in… And well.. I got bored so joining the guards was fun. I learned some new types of fighting."

Steve noticed how proud Thor looked and he felt a burst of affection too. He really admired that she was not just waiting to be rescued, she went out and learned new things. Tony rolled his eyes at her but he smirked and turned back to the scepter.

"So this is making us a little extra agitated huh?"

"I think so. I think Loki wants Bruce or I to lose control and create chaos in here so we will be unable to fight against the Chitauri."

Fury nodded and gave Agent Romanoff a look.

"Well if you 2 are the target then maybe we should remove you 2 and keep you as far away from the scepter as possible."

Bella looked pissed off as she turned to Fury.

"Excuse me? Fury I think you underestimate my control. Bruce and I know our limits and I can guarantee that this is not near it."

Fury sighed and tried to relax while he explained himself.

"8 months ago earth had a visitor from another planet who had a grudge match that leveled a small town. We learned that not only are we not alone, but we are hopelessly, hilariously, outgunned."

"My people want nothing but peace with your planet."

"AND I just said that our planet is untouched because no one has a use for it, or they didn't until YOU woke the cube."

Fury ignored Bella and spoke right back at Thor.

"But you're not the only people out there are you? And you're not the only threat. The world's filling up with people who can't be matched, they can't be controlled."

"Like you controlled the cube?"

"They forced our hand. We had to come up with something."

Tony snorted and rolled his eyes.

"Nuclear deterrent. 'Cause that always calms everything right down."

"Remind me again how you made your fortune, Stark?"

Bella vibrated in anger as she took a step in front of Stark almost as if to protect him. Her veins glowed red and orange again as she pointed her finger at Fury.

"He stopped making weapons when he felt it was no longer the right thing to do. He did that to better himself without anyone asking him to! That was a low blow even for you!"

He put his hands up and Agent Romanoff moved closer to him.

"Calm down Bella. You need to remove yourself from this environment."

"I am calm! Trust me you have not seen me angry!"

Steve sighed but he did have to think on both sides. He saw the scepter and turned to Bella, knowing her theory of it messing with them must be true.

"Bella. Look at the scepter."

Everyone stopped talking and looked at it as it glowed stronger than it had before. Bella sighed and closed her eyes. Instantly the glowing on her veins went away. Fury began trying to smooth things over but Bella interrupted him.

"Look we all need to j-"

"Shut up."

"What?"

"Shut up!"

Bella froze after Fury finally listened to her. She tilted her head and looked out the window.

"There's a jet beside the Helicarrier, the ramp just clicked which means its open. Why would a Shield Jet need to open the ramp before landing?"

"It wouldn't."

"Exactly."

Everyone kept still for a moment before they broke out in different directions with different orders. Tony threw an earpiece to everyone quickly and went to find his suit.

"Fury! I need my fireproof suit. I know there has to be one somewhere in here."

"Room C3."

She nodded but the computer signal stared beeping and everyone circled around it.

"Where is it?"

Next thing everyone knew there was an explosion that sent them flying. Bella tried to contain it but enough damage had been done already. She was the only one left standing and she looked around as Steve and Fury got up quickly. She couldn't see Thor and the floor where Bruce and Nat were standing had caved in.

"This has to be what Loki was planning all along."

Steve nodded her way but he looked both directions not sure where to go first. Bella looked down at her ruined outfit and knew she had to find a suit fast.

"Steve! Come with me please. I'm gonna need your help to move faster."

He nodded and followed her as she ran out the hallway and down some steps until she found the room labeled C3. She let her fire ignite her veins and used the strength to knock the door right over. She noticed Steve stop short for a second but cleared his mind quickly and stepped through.

"Help me find my suit. I need to change into it before anything else."

He nodded and quickly started using his strength to break through locks and rummage through cases. Their earpieces came to life.

"Somebody's gonna have to get outside and patch that engine!"

"Stark, Bella, one of you copy?"

Tony and I responded at once but I told Tony to meet me out there. Finally Steve found a case with 5 of my suits and I got the first one in there. In seconds I have my hair up and ripped the remains of my shirt. I went to take off my bra but then remembered I wasn't alone. I turned to Steve and saw him frozen with his eyes to my chest.

"Steve I need you to turn around."

"Y-yes. Oh I didn't mean to stare, I mean I'm sorry, I will meet you out there where Stark is at, outside, because you are changing..."

He rambled for a moment more but turned to run out.

"Wait! Just stay there! I need you to finish up the zipper for me. That's why I asked you to come. Just stay turned, give me 10 seconds."

He nodded but stayed frozen in place. If it weren't so urgent I had half a mind to try flirting with him..

"Okay I'm good. Just pull up the zipper and we can go."

He nervously turned but I felt him freeze again when he saw my bare back.

"Steve I know you are from another time when it would have been so inappropriate of me to change in front of you but we really gotta go. Please just pull up the damn zipper!"

"I'm sorry. Yes, I'm ready."

I watched him push aside everything in his mind and go into 'soldier mode' it made me admire him for that… even if it came a little late.

"Let's go help Tony."

We ran towards the outer ridge where the explosion had taken out part of engine 3. I stopped short when I heard a booming growl.

"What was that?"

"..Bruce."

I put my head in my hand for a moment but had to prioritize what needed work on first.

"Did he?"

"Yes. I can calm him enough to bring him back but we need to work on this engine first, if not we all go down. This takes priority."

He nodded but looked worried. We pried two doors open and felt the air hitting us instantly. 2 Agents were helping an injured one back into the main halls that were still secured. We looked around for a moment but couldn't see Tony.

"Stark! Stark we're here!"

Our earpieces came back to life as his voice came in.

"Good. Let's see what we got here."

He came into view and was hovering over some bent metal that was blocking up the engine.

"I gotta this super conducting cooling system back online before I can access the rotors and work on dislodging the debris."

I hovered off the deck and joined Tony. While he looked through his screen I worked on dislodging and melting pieces that were delaying the rotor. Tony spoke to Steve while he tried pulling at larger pieces.

"I need you to get to that engine control panel and tell me which relays are in overload position."

I heard him jump over something and his feet landing somewhere closer but I couldn't see either of them. I heard the panel lock disassemble and the unit slide out.

"What's it look like in there?"

There was a pause before Steve's voice came on. I had to smirk at his tone of voice, it sounded so done.

"It seems to run on some sort of electricity..."

I stifled a laugh and Tony simply sighed.

"Well, you're not wrong."

"Just get in here Tony. I will fix the panel."

We traded spaces and I helped him take out pieces that were blocking the blades.

"How are you that strong?"

"Well the way my DNA was altered made me stronger but after a while I figured out that is I fuel fire in my veins then I can make myself stronger on that part of my body."

Steve nodded but seemed to contemplate it for a while. I was on edge since I could hear crashes coming from inside and knew it had to be Bruce.

"What's wrong?"

"I can hear them inside. Hulk is destroying things and there's hostiles on board now, I'm sure their main objective is to get Loki out."

"Go."

"What?"

"Go. I can help Stark here. You can hear who needs help right now. We are wasting effort just standing here waiting for more instruction."

I looked to him for a moment before nodding and talking into the earpiece.

"Tony, the relays are intact. I need to go."

"Got it."

I nodded to Steve and squeezed his arm as I passed him. I knew the first thing I needed to do was find Loki and take down as many of his guys as possible. I ran towards the lower deck where Loki was being held. All of his men were dressed as SHIELD Agents so I had to wait to be attacked to know who to fight. There were constant crashes heard all around the Helicarrier and at one point I head another jet shooting at us from outside, I am sure it must have been shooting at the Hulk because I heard his roar but it was followed by silence. I had been ignoring what had been said in my ear piece but it suddenly had all my attention.

"_Sir, we've lost power on engine 1."_

"_It's Barton. He took out our systems. He's headed for the detention level. Does anybody copy?"_

"_This is Agent Romanoff. I copy."_

Suddenly the ground started tilting and I had to grab a railing to keep from sliding. _I should have stayed with Tony and Steve. They need more help on engines. _I sighed but all the breath left my body when I entered the deck and saw Thor in the glass cell.

"Thor!"

He turned to me but so did the other two people in the room. It took me a second to capt what I was seeing.

"Phil?"

His glowing blue eyes looked to me blankly and I knew he had to be under the same manipulation as Clint. His eyes went back to the monitor and before I could move, he ejected the cage.

"NO!"

It fell through the hole and I felt the rage set up. I launched myself at Loki, but stopped short at a pinching sensation on my back. Heat enveloped me as the pain shot to the forefront of my mind. All thoughts disappeared as my consciousness slipped away slowly. I tried to fight it, knowing I would heal in a moment but every limb became too heavy and every breath took too much effort.

**With Tony and Steve.**

"Stark! We're losing altitude!"

"Yeah, noticed."

Tony positioned himself at a blade and used all the power the suit had to push. He needed to give it a head start before systems would be back up again.

Steve jumped back towards the control panel and stood by the red lever Stark had pointed him to. He looked down to see some Agents walk in, they were dressed like SHIELD Agents but when he saw one take out a grenade and launch it towards the engine he jumped mid air and hit it towards the air beneath him. As soon as he landed he had the Agents shooting at him but he rolled down and managed to dodge the bullets. He got close enough to punch one and knock him out but when he went to kick the other one an Agent tried to sneak up behind him. He twisted and pushed him off the Helicarrier while dropping down to pick up the gun of the one he had knocked out. He jumped up to the second level to buy time but he quickly figured out how to aim the modern gun and started shooting. With only one left he stepped back trying to aim but the Agent took cover behind the entrance door. He dodged some more bullets while trying to gain traction but slipped back as the Helicarrier tilted. He managed to grab on to a thick wire hanging off to the side of the deck but couldn't fight off the air pressure enough to climb back up fast enough. He could hear the blades running smoothly now and heard Stark's grunts as he pushed them harder.

"Cap, hit the lever."

"I need a minute here!"

He fought off the pressure and was almost there but couldn't grip the edge enough to ground himself.

"Lever! Now!"

He managed to climb back up but as soon as his body hit the grid he was being fired at again. The board in the middle deck was enough to protect him from the bullets while reaching up to pull the lever.

Tony lost sight of which way was up and which was down, his body was being thrown around against the blades but suddenly a vent finally opened up in engine 3 and he is able to fall out. His suit is damaged and barely able to use reactors to keep him flying. He shakes it off as best as he can and fly's down towards Cap.

Steve was looking around trying to find a way to get to the shooter without exposing himself to the bullets but before he could come up with something, Stark flew down, the shooter aimed the gun towards him now and started shooting but Stark never stopped, he tackled the shooter and knocked him out cold instantly. He let out a breath of relief and jumped down to go towards him.

Tony rolled around and debated if now was a good time to just lay there and take a nap. Cap's hand came into his line of sight and he sighed as he accepted it and got up.

"You look.. dented."

"Yeah well, next time Bella is staying with me. I need someone bulletproof."

Steve let out a shaky laugh but didn't have it in him to argue. Their smirks fell off however as their earpieces came to life simultaneously and Fury's voice carried over.

"Stark, we need you here."

They both started walking but paused when his next words hit.

"Bella's down."

Tony sighed for a moment but Steve looked at him incredulously when he shook it off casually.

"Is she healing already?"

Fury's voice came over the earpiece softer this time.

"No Tony. She's not. Loki stuck his scepter through her heart."

The implication was understood to both of them and while he felt his heart sink to his stomach, he instinctively reached out to support Stark as his knees gave out. He started hyperventilating but shot up suddenly and started running. Steve followed close behind but couldn't shake the dread. Bella had been the first genuine person he had met since waking up. She seemed like someone who would help him just because he needed it and not because of what he could give her in return. _She can't be dead right? _Then guilt started to catch up with him, he had told her to go, she wouldn't be hurt if he hadn't sent her. He shook his head and did his best to push that aside for now.

They entered the room where the glass cell use to be but now it was just an open space. His eyes found her instantly on the floor with 2 medics and Fury standing above her. Stark swooped in and hovered over her, his fingers reaching to her neck to try finding a pulse but failing to do so.

"We just… we need to give her time."

Steve went to crouch by Stark once he saw him tying to carefully roll her over. He helped where he could and eventually they had him holding her weight against against his chest to keep her upright. He looked down and saw Tony lowering the zipper he had just helped her with not even 1 hour ago. It was damp with her blood and he grimaced at the sight of a slash in her body. He had seen the blood on the front of the suit and knew Loki's scepter went deep enough to come out the other end. The fear was plain to see in Stark's eyes when he went to check oh her pulse and found nothing still. He sighed and let his head drop.

"We have to give her time."

His hands shook as he said it and Steve almost thought he didn't believe his own words.

"The wound is slowly healing. I can see it closing already. We just need to give her time for her heartbeat to come back."

Steve nodded in a way he hoped was reassuring but he hoped that would be what happened.

"I didn't know the cosmic exposure had given her the ability to heal. I've never met anyone that could but I never thought if it was possible, that it could be done this fast."

Steve was in awe as he looked down and saw the wound had at least closed on the surface but there was a lot that needed to heal internally.

"It's not because of the cosmic cloud exposure."

Steve looked to him, waiting for him to elaborate.

"It's a whole different thing. I'm sure she will tell you if you gain her trust."

Stark looked back at Fury as he looked down and sighed, concern clear on his face. Stark turned to him and demanded to know what had happened, Fury simply walked to the edge of the room and flipped on a screen before rewinding the cameras that had been watching Loki.

"Loki's guys got the scepter and brought it to him. He got out and used it on Agent Coulson. You can see there when he tricked his brother into the cage and had Coulson eject it. Bella came in and launched herself at Loki but the real Loki was behind her and plunged the Scepter in her back. They got away in a Quinjet but Agent Romanoff managed to bring back Agent Barton at least."

Tony looked at the footage one more time with anger in his eyes but he looked down and took Bella from the Captain's arms.

"Where are you taking her?"

"To whatever is left of the lab. I want to hook her up to a monitor and have her with me while I work on repairing my suit the best I can."

He lifted her with one arm and with the other he tried looking in the bag one of the medics had left behind. He managed to find alcohol and rags and got to working on cleaning the floor with one hand but Cap stopped him.

"I'll do it."

Tony looked at him for a moment, wondering if he could trust him but eventually he saw the worry for her. He nodded gratefully and lifted her.

"Don't let anyone get their hands on a sample of her blood."

"I won't."

He nodded and looked between both men.

"This is personal now. Meet me in the lab and bring whoever else is left."

Steve nodded his way but went back to the blood. He could only hope that her heart started up like everyone else thought it would but for now he would focus on the one thing he could do.


	28. Chapter 28

**They call her Human Torch! Chapter 28**

**In the lab 7 minutes later.**

Tony was using a melding tool to try and save the helmet in his suit, it has taken a beating and he knew he would need another one from his office in New York. He had attached a monitor to Bella's finger and was trying to distract himself while her heartbeat got started again. Cap walked in a moment later and went straight for Bella.

"The blood is all cleaned up. I spoke to Agent Romanoff and Agent Barton. He is no longer under the effects of the.. Scepter mind stone, but she said his head is still hurting. He will fly the Quinjet. Thor was apparently d-"

He stopped when a flutter was heard around the room from the monitor. Both men looked down in time to see Bella take a deep harsh breath and shoot up off the bed before yanking the monitor off her finger. Her eyes looked wild and she was disoriented for a moment but she blinked and relaxed he stance when she saw no one else but Tony and Steve.

"Where is that asshole?"

"Unfortunately they got away. How are you feeling? Let me see your back."

Tony tuned her and pushed down on the skin. Steve could only look on at the perfectly smooth skin, it wasn't bruised or scarred, it was as if nothing ever happened.

"I'm fine now Tony. What about Phil? Loki had him under the effects of the mind stone. Is he okay?"

"He helped him get away but he is fine physically. Clint is back though and he is feeling a little fuzzy in the head but he is on our side now."

She nodded to herself and mumbled "Good, good." But she snapped her head back up.

"Where is Bruce and Thor? Why isn't Bruce here? Is he still-?"

Steve walked passed Tony and interrupted Bella.

"Thor as you saw, was let go in the cage, we do not know where he is. Dr. Banner apparently was distracted out of the Helicarrier so he wouldn't finish destroying it. He jumped out and they are not sure where he landed either or if he is still in his other form."

"I need to go find them. First I need to go talk to Clint and see if he remembers anything about Loki's plan."

"He said he didn't ask questions but he knew Loki will make a move today."

Tony looked up suddenly.

"The trace was completed right before the explosion. I can access my system and check what location it was."

"Good. I'll take an earpiece and you just let me know. Take a Quinjet with Clint, Nat, and Steve. I'm gonna go see if I can find Bruce or Thor."

Tony sighed and shook his head.

"Bella you just died a couple minutes ago. Relax a moment and just wait to go with us."

She shook her head and left the room quickly for a few minutes before coming back in a new suit. She looked and Steve in the eye and smirked his way before turning and moving her hair to the side. Steve felt his face heat up but went forward quickly and finished zipping her up. Tony looked at the both of them and tilted his face. He had never seen Bella smirk that way, there was a little wiggle in her eyebrow that almost made her look like she was flirting and Cap over here turned firetruck red at just the thought of touching her bare back.

"_Son of a bitch!"_

He hadn't meant to say it out loud but both heads turned to him in surprise.

"What?"

"Uh, nothing. Just looking for the location."

She nodded his way before stepping away from Steve.

"Alright. I'm leaving."

"I thought we agreed you would stay."

"Nope, I never did. I need to go see if Bruce is okay. If he is in his other form then I can calm him down enough to, you know, stop destroying stuff. And if he is Bruce then he will need clothes."

Tony thought he could confirm his suspicion right then and there about Bella and Cap.

"Hey Bella, Answer me this. You have seen the Doctor in both forms right? Tell me, does his downstairs grow as much as the rest of him does when he is in Hulk form?"

Bingo! He saw Capsicle's jaw clench for a moment and Bella's blush as she turned to see Cap's reaction. _Yeah, there's definitely a little crush going on there. _

"God Tony! How would I know? I've never seen Hulk naked. His pants rip up but they still hold when he is in that form."

"Oh so you haven't seen Hulk naked but you have seen Bruce in the buff?"

He almost chuckled and broke character when her cheeks started smoking big time. _That is always so weird to see._

"Well not on purpose! When he goes back down to small size, the pants obviously fall off and.. yeah but it's not like that and you know it. You know what? Why am I even explaining myself to you? I'm leaving. See you guys later."

She turned in a huff of embarrassment and took off towards the nearest deck. I finally let out the laugh I had been holding in but saw that Cap was giving me a disapproving look.

"What? It's fun to get her flustered and worked up. Plus I needed to see your reaction to confirm something."

"What would that be?"

"That you like her. I can see how much it bugged you, the thought of her seeing another man naked..."

"I don't know what you are talking about Stark. Get back to work. We have a battle coming up."

He turned and walked out the door but not before Tony got the last word in.

"Oh Captain my Captain! You can't fool me! Don't worry I'll keep your secret romance!.."

He chuckled once more and got back to work. _I am hilarious._

**With Bella.**

I had to admit to myself (not to anyone else) that this was a pretty stupid idea. I had no idea where to go. We were so high up in the air with the Helicarrier that when Thor and Bruce fell out of it, they could have landed miles and miles away.

I flew for almost 10 more minutes before deciding to swoop lower. There was something white in the middle of a field that seemed out of place. I didn't want to land by someones house but then again, it was in the middle of nowhere and it seemed too small to be a house. The lower I got the clearer my vision was. The sight was where the cage had clearly crashed, there remained the hard white cage structure but the glass that surrounded it was shattered everywhere. The cage was here, but where was Thor? I flew up again but didn't go too high this time. I looked 5 miles to the left of the cage and found nothing, going back I went 5 miles right of it. This time I was looking over what looked to be a field with hundreds of wild flowers. In a way it reminded me of the meadow that Edward use to take me to. I never think about him anymore, not after so many years so it surprised me that the thought of him angered me slightly but mostly I was just indifferent. I had truly moved on from him, no part of me held any lost love feelings or even hurt feelings… Well, not hurt for him leaving me romantically, but I will always be hurt and never forgive him leaving me unprotected against Victoria. If he would have protected me then she would have just focused on me instead of going after Charlie. Thinking about it made my chest heavy. I had to stop this line of thinking.

"Bella? BELLA!"

I looked down and saw Thor looking up at me and waving his hands about. I sigh in frustration with myself. I was so distracted with my line of thought that I wasn't even looking down. After landing next to him I hug him.

"I was looking for you but of course you found me first. Are you okay?"

He looked down at me as he hugged me back with force. Looking into his eyes, I saw them swimming with tears, a look so betrayed, heartbroken.

"My brother, he tried to kill me. He actually let me fall."

Goosebumps bloomed from my stomach as my heart dropped for him.

"I'm so sorry Thor. You can't know what could possibly be going on in his head. Not that it makes this all okay, his anger and the betrayal he feels is all so misplaced but I'm sure that your brother loves you the same. He wants to be a king but you became one, well, almost became one and he didn't know why it could not be him. Then he finds out he is adopted and he is actually a frost giant, he became what he was always taught was his enemy. It must have messed with him in a way that altered every memory that involved you and your father, he made himself overthink everything and made himself believe there was a division. Honestly, this is all, it's just a tantrum he is throwing, he wants attention."

"His adventure to attention must come to an end. It has taken enough lives as it is. I will not have anyone else die at my brothers hands."

He nodded and picked up his hammer. With a look of determination taking dominance over the rest of his emotions, he turned to me.

"What is our next move?"

"We need to go back towards the Helicarrier until Tony remembers to send me the place but until then can we just fly low for a moment. Bruce jumped out of the Helicarrier and I don't know where he landed. Unlike you, he cannot fly."

Thor smiled softly and agreed. We flew 20 minutes before Tony's voice came on over the earpiece.

"Hey Bells?"

"Yeah."

"New York. My building."

"Are you serious?"

"Yup, he wants an audience."

I sighed and closed my eyes for a moment before Thor nudged me. I opened them and he pointed towards a warehouse below. Actually it looked like an abandoned mill. There was a gigantic hole in the roof and a small dust cloud surrounding the entire place.

"Gotta go Tony. See you there."

"Yup."

I turned to Thor.

"How did you find me and now him? You are either very good at finding, or I just suck."

He didn't respond but he smiled indulgently at me. My attention was on the front barn door when it suddenly opened and I saw two men come out. One was clearly and older man in a security uniform but the second was Bruce in some jeans that looked like they were almost falling off him and no shirt or shoes.

"Bruce!"

He turned surprised but smiled tiredly at me. I remembered he told me once that when Hulk came out unexpectedly, he got very tired and slept for hours at a time. He did better when we practiced though, and when he chose to become Hulk.

"Hey, how did you guys find me?"

"Thor spotted you while we were flying around the area. How do you feel?"

"Tired… Bella, did I, did I kill anyone?"

"No. I mean you tore down some systems and stuff but most importantly, no one was hurt. Right Thor?"

"That is correct. You and I entered in a glorious battle but neither of us could get a good handle on each other."

I could tell Bruce felt a little awkward at Thor's 'glorious battle' comment. It bugged him when he didn't remember stuff.

"So what's with the motorcycle?"

"Oh, I thought I could ride it towards.. somewhere that isn't the middle of nowhere.."

"You are in luck my friend. It just so happens that I can fly."

"Bella you know I don't like when you carry me."

"Suck it up."

I nodded towards the old man as Thor and I took off. Me with Bruce clutching me around my throat and Thor clutching on to his hammer.

After a few minutes I put 1 finger to my ear sensor and kept it turned on.

"Tony?"

"Yep?"

"We are on our way."

"Who is we? Did you find them both?"

"Yeah. Where are you?"

"We are on our way towards New York. Clint, Romanoff, and Mr. Stars and stripes, are in the Quinjet behind me."

I went to reprimand him about calling Steve that but I knew it would just make him do it more.

"Are they on headset?"

"I gave them earpieces but they won't turn them on until they get to New York. Look I am here and I see Selvig. Gotta go."

"Be careful Tony."

"We'll see."

They were already in New York but still minutes away from the actual Stark building.

"Bella, look."

I followed where Thor was pointing to. A beam went straight up towards the sky and I could see it looked just like the portals we would use in Asgard.

"They're here."

I felt slightly out of breath as fear crept in. I knew from the Chitauri information that they were almost like robots. I was sure I could probably melt through their 'armor' that acted as skin to them, but the problem was their numbers. How outnumbered would we be? I cringed when I saw a few dots fall from the sky, the closer we got the more clearly I could see them, and then begun the explosions in buildings and cars on the streets. We got close enough to land and quickly Thor went towards the building top, probably to find Loki.

"Bruce? Are you fighting with us?"

"I don't think it's a good idea Bella. What if I forget what side I'm on and I start attacking them? What if I just destroy buildings?"

"You have to trust yourself Bruce. Trust that if _you _choose to be Hulk then you will have control. You remember more, you act better, and you understand more when you don't fight him."

Bruce looked down in thought but we were soon joined by Steve, Nat, and Clint. I went up to Clint and hugged him. He hugged me right back and I felt him take a shuttering breath.

"I'm so happy to see you back."

"I'm happy to be back. How are you feeling?"

"Still fuzzy. But just like you, I'm glad to be back."

I smiled at him softly and patted his arm before stepping back and really looking at the three of them.

"You guys haven't started yet right? You look a little.. rough."

Natasha glared at me slightly before deadpanning.

"We were knocked out of the sky in the Quinjet."

"Oh. I see. Sounds like fun."

"Yes you should try it sometime."

Before anything else could be said, we heard a deep rumbling sound coming from the sky. We looked up at first and only saw more Chitauri soldiers but then it was… well I don't even know what to call them. It had the same color and protective armor as the rest of them but it was almost in the shape of a whale. A mix between a sea turtle and a whale… Only 50x the size. It floated almost gracefully down, swimming through the New York air and terrifying the rest of us. For a moment all we could do was look up at the sky with our mouths hanging open. Holy shit there's soldiers jumping out of it! Is that the Chitauri Leviathans I read about?

"Is it a ship? Full of them, or maybe a gigantic Chitauri that just happens to hold some in it's compartments..."

I was talking to myself but I knew we had to jump into action when they started crashing through building windows and screams could be heard in the air. Steve had the same idea because he turned his earpiece on and spoke into it.

"Stark, are you seeing this?"

"Seeing, Still working on believing. Where's Bella and Banner. Have they shown up yet?"

"Banner? They are here but he is not in a fighting… he is not fight ready."

"Ah, so doctor mode."

We took cover behind a few cars but I stood up.

"I need to try something before I jump into battle."

They looked at me like I was crazy but I used my flames to propel me high in the air. As soon as one flew past me, I grabbed on and knocked him off his little flying scooter. Bringing him down to the ground, I put both hands around it's head and turned up the heat as hot as it would go. My hands felt like they were going straight through play-dough as the material melted and the rest of the body stopped struggling. Hm, so they are as easy to kill as frost giants. Good, now what worried me was the numbers.

"Well, looks like you got it made. We can't really use that move though."

Natasha looked like a mix of annoyed with amused.

"You have what you use best. Guns!"

"Yeah yeah."

Steve got up and looked around before barking out orders.

"Agent Barton, Agent Romanoff, keep then distracted here, I'll go work on helping out the civilians down there. Bella, Work in the air. Try to keep as many as possible from hitting the ground. Dr. Banner. Are you a civilian or are you fighting with us?"

Sexy sexy man taking charge….

"I'm not a civilian, that's for damn sure."

Bruce turned uncertain towards me but I nodded at him.

"I have all the faith in the world that you can do this. Don't fight him Bruce, just like we have practiced so many times. I will bring you back, no matter what."

He nodded but I got distracted at what Steve was doing, he talked to the police about setting up a perimeter to keep civilians away but they looked at him like he was crazy and talked back to him but when there was an explosion behind him he turned towards the 2 Chitauri soldiers and started fighting them with his shield. He punched one right in the face and used his shield to cut off a limb while using his foot to knock it out. _Fucking hell that was hot. So hot, Sexy. _The police men looked to him in shock for a moment before repeating his orders into his speaker. _That's right asshats! _I walked up to him and took out a soldier coming up behind him. He turned around and saw me right before grabbing one and propelling it's body towards me. I took the hint and grabbed one limb to pull while he pulled on another. Together we ended it quickly and he stopped short for a second to smile at me.

Steve was caught between being amazed at this alien invasion and being terrified of it. The thought of aliens being real was enough but seeing them with his own eyes was different. He had to stop to organize his thoughts every couple of minutes since he was so enraptured in Bella's fighting. She was graceful and clean in her moves, something so feminine about her and pure while doing something so deadly and grim. After they killed a soldier together, she had come up next to him and had spoken directly to him in a rough voice.

"Glad to have you on our side Captain. Wouldn't know what I would do if I had to fight against you, not after seeing some of your moves."

He smiled at her teasing words but her low tone of voice was so arousing and the way she lightly pressed her warm body against his back for just a second was more than enough to make his body spasm after she turned to leave. Did she do that on purpose? No, why would she?

Stark's voice came on the earpiece after a couple seconds.

"Hey, tell Banner to suit up. I'm bringing the party to you."

All of us looked towards his general direction and saw him bringing in the Chitauri ship. Agent Romanoff shuddered next to him.

"I- I don't see how that's a party."

Dr. Banner looked back towards Bella and she reached out to squeeze his hand. He walked towards the thing coming right at us and waited last minute to transform right before our eyes. The Hulk let out a massive roar that shook the streets as he used his fist to stop the creature. The impact and shock of the stop made it's lower body lift to the point where it was about to collapse on all of us. We ran for cover but Bella and Stark fired at opposite sides to get the body to explode. All the Chitauri that witnessed it let out battle cry's in fury.

Bella stood next to Hulk while he was panting. He looked about ready to smash something else soon. Taking a few steps back I signaled to everyone else to do the same before I got his attention.

"Hey big guy."

His head turned to me and I saw his anger melt to sadness. I had learned this expression as the first one he gave me every year. He would miss me after not seeing me for a long time.

"_Bell! Bell gone."_

"I'm back now buddy. We need you now okay?"

I pointed towards the Chitauri and made sure he saw all of them flying as well.

"Hulk smash them!"

I stood by Thor, Nat, and Clint, first before moving next to Steve and Tony.

"Hulk does not smash us! We are your friends. We are fighting them okay? Not you. We will _not_ hurt you. I will not let them. Okay?"

He growled under his breath, not happy that he couldn't crush them but nodded in understanding. The Chitauri dropped down lower and suddenly made a nearby car explode and startled Hulk. He roared out and wildly looked around before locking eyes back on me and moving towards me.

"_Bell hurt!"_

"No, no! I'm not hurt. I'm fine! See?"

I put my hands up and did a full circle for him to see. He grabbed me with one hand and pulled on my arms with the other. I looked towards the others on the ground and smiled at them to calm their panicked looks. Unfortunately another car exploded at that moment and in his anger he squeezed his hand around my waist. I grimaced and let out a cry when I heard almost all my ribs crack. Tony Flew up at my level instantly and got in Hulks face.

"Put her down!"

"No Tony stop. I'm fine."

"You're not fine, you are in pain!"

"He doesn't know it. We have done this a million times Tony, really, I lost count of how many times he has broken my ribs. Just back off and he will put me down."

"Fine but we will be talking about this later."

He landed back down and Hulk then finally put me down. Steve rushed forward to crouch by me.

"Are you okay?"

"Yes. My ribs are already popping back in place."

Steve nodded and helped me up but then turned to Hulk, I think he just wanted to get him away from us.

"Hulk!"

He turned to Steve and growled. Steve just pointed back to the Chitauri.

"Smash!"

He growled again but this time with a grin on his face as he leaped off and straight up a building to start ripping them off. Steve turned back to me and grimaced when he actually heard my last rib pop back.

"Does it hurt?"

"Well, I think it's less than a human because I am able to stand high doses of pain but still a break is a break."

He nodded but we all had to get back in the game with the destruction of the Chitauri still going on around us.

"Call it Captain."

"Alright, until we can close that portal, our objective is containment. Barton, I want you on that roof, eyes on everything. Call out patterns and strays. Stark, Bella, You guys got the perimeter in the sky. Anything gets more than 3 blocks out, you turn it back or you turn it to ash."

We nodded our agreement but a voice behind me made me stop short.

"I can help. What do I do?"

We all turned to see someone dressed in a red suit… Spiderman's suit. Of course only Tony and I knew it was Peter. He saw me and ran into my arms. I hugged him with all I had but had to hiss into his ear.

"What the hell are you doing here Peter? You're gonna get hurt!"

"I missed you too Bella."

"I did miss you but you have to go home! You are going to get hurt!"

"I can help! I'm not going to sit by the news and watch you fight when I can easily help defend the city."

Everyone was watching us as they had heard the end of the conversation. I turned to Steve and spoke to him first.

"Steve, this is.. Spiderman. Put him on Civilian duty."

"Bel-"

"No! You are just a kid! I will not let you get hurt. You are my responsibility remember? I am your mentor.. or I was anyway."

He sighed stubbornly but nodded as he turned to Steve and waited instruction. Once I saw him go the way he had pointed I walked up to Steve.

"I'll keep an eye on him from up top but if he try's to join in on the fighting just send him back to help people or the police. He is going to turn 21 in a few days, he is still a kid okay? Just..-"

"Don't worry Bella. I will make sure he is safe."

"Thank you Steve."

He nodded and I took off to take as many out of the sky as I could. I didn't pay attention much to anything else as I fought. After seeing Tony dive into the mouth of one Leviathan and come out the other, I started doing the same with the ones that kept coming out the portal. I had killed over 60 Chitauri but it didn't look like I had even dented the amount of them. With the portal open it was just never ending. At one point I saw Thor standing on the tip of a building and calling a whole bunch of thunder, clouds rolled over and darkened the street for a moment but I saw him direct every bit of power towards the portal, stopping them for a while from coming out but of course thunder is not never ending. I looked down and saw Nat jump on one of the Chitauri as they flew over her. _That woman has balls! _Unfortunately her leaving left Steve alone and surrounded. I swooped down and we stood back to back as we took them out. He turned towards me and lifted an eyebrow.

"Are you even breaking into a sweat yet? If Thor and Hulk can sweat, I'm pretty sure you should be too."

"Fire evaporates liquid remember?"

"Right."

"I am kinda tired though. I feel like we have been going for like 2 hours now. How long has it been since we started?"

Tony's voice came over the earpiece.

"It's been 28 minutes."

"Well shit..."

"Yep."

A leviathan flew by and I looked up to see Thor and Hulk fighting over 20 of them up there. They were doing great working together and before we knew it Hulk grabbed a piece of armor and dug it into the Leviathan's back. Without missing a beat Thor brought down his hammer and the whole thing instantly went down. Steve and I turned when we heard army tanks rolling in. They started firing and helped a little but not nearly enough. Clint's voice came on the earpiece for Steve.

"Captain, the bank on 42nd past Madison, they cornered a lot of civilians there."

"I'm on it."

I was about to tell him I would go with him but Tony beat me to it.

"Hey Bella you better go with the Captain! Isn't that your bank? Forget the civilians, you gotta protect your money!"

I saw the look of shock on Steve's face and I burst out laughing.

"Don't worry Steve, he's just kidding."

I heard Tony's and Clint's laugh over the earpiece, guessing that he must have taken the comment seriously.

"Come on."

We ran towards the bank and I was surprised that he could almost keep up with me. I mean I was going at a jogging pace and so was he but still to others it looked like we were sprinting. In no time we got to the bank and saw 3 of them on the balcony looking down at a group of at least 40. Steve and I came in through a window and he swiftly threw his shield at one of the Chitauri that had activated what looked and sounded like a bomb. The other 2 started firing at us but I killed one quickly and slammed it's body over the railing while Steve kicked out a table and knocked the 1 left over. He got up and began fighting it but eventually got the upper hand. The crowd let out gasps of horror as they looked up and saw one more jump out of nowhere, it jumped on my back but soon let go as it heard the bomb's beeping begin to accelerate. Steve took another look around and yelled.

"Everyone clear out!"

There was nowhere really for them to go. With just one more soldier left he dove after the bomb but I ran towards it and kicked his face away. I didn't even have time to put my hand to it's head and kill it. I lunged towards the bomb, knowing it could be turned off but not knowing how. With the banks high ceiling I held the bomb to my chest and flew up. I let my body be covered in flames and encased the bomb in flames so I could be ready to absorb it.

"Bella!"

I looked down and saw Steve's horrified face for a moment before the bomb exploded in my hand. _Did he forget I can absorb fire?_ People always thought absorbing fire or explosions would hurt me but Fire felt soothing and natural to me. It relaxed me to let go and absorb it actually. It made me lose myself in the sensation for a moment. The first time it happened was in the Stark Expo and while I was shocked that I could do it, I didn't get to appreciate the natural feeling of it, my natural state. Once I came back to myself after absorbing the explosion I began to feel things around me again. I felt myself falling and was only able to turn off my flames 2 seconds before I landed on the bank's floor. I groaned as I felt my hip shatter.

"Bella! Are you okay."

Steve jumped off the balcony and the sea of people stared at me in shock while parting to let him through.

"I'm fine. Really."

He sighed and helped me up. Grimacing once more as he heard my hip bone popping back.

"What did you break this time?"

"Hip."

He nodded but looked down conflicted.

"I forgot for a moment that you could absorb fire… Stupid mistake on my part really."

"It's okay. I'm sure you or anyone else is ever or should ever get use to seeing someone hug a bomb."

I smirked up at him and he smiled for a moment before we moved towards the front of the building and used our strength to knock the doors open. We helped the crowd of people follow the instructions that the officers were giving them. He stood to the side for a while and I could tell he was tired.

"Come on Cap, Tony is getting beat up over there."

"I can hear you, I'm doing this on purpose, I have a plan."

"Oh yeah? Well by all means, continue with your plan. We will stand here and watch."

"Well, I mean it wouldn't hurt if you just pick some of them off..."

Steve looked down as he smiled to himself but he followed me towards Tony. Thor came and joined us soon after and we were able to take almost all them here out before Tony randomly flew off.

"Where is he off to?"

"He must have gotten something on his earpiece."

We lost focus for a moment while a soldier shot out and got Steve on his side. He fell on his knees and clutched onto the wound. Thor was able to finish the rest of them off with his hammer quickly while I helped him up. Thor came around and patted his back.

"Ready for another bout?"

"What, you getting sleepy?"

I snorted and shook my head.

"Not even close."

Natasha's strained voice came over our earpieces.

"I can close it! Can anybody hear me? I can shut the portal down!"

We looked at each other in surprise but Steve quickly responded back to her.

"Do it!"

"No! Wait!"

Tony sounded almost breathless as he spoke.

"Stark, these things are still coming!"

"I got a nuke coming in, It's gonna blow in less than a minute. And I know just where to put it."

I felt the blood drain from my face and the air leave my body.

Steve put his hand on my back and I realized I had actually bent over slightly. I got back up and spoke urgently in my earpiece.

"You can't do that Tony! You could get stuck! That is a portal straight into Sanctuary! We didn't find one from there to Asgard."

"I have to Bella. It's this or we let Manhattan explode."

"I can absorb it! Let go of it and I will take care of it."

"No Bella. This is not just any bomb. This is meant to take out an entire Island. You don't know if you can pull it off and I won't let you experiment with it."

I let out a breath in desperation. My voice almost came out whining.

"Tony, you'll pass out when you get too high, the pressure will be too much. We don't even know if that planet has oxygen!"

He didn't respond this time. I looked to Thor for a moment.

"Bella, Sister let this go. It is his choice."

Anger and determination took over.

"No! He is being stupid."

Before he could move towards me I took off into the air as fast as I could go. It took 3 seconds to get to where Tony was holding and guiding the Nuke. I heard his sigh clearly over the earpiece as I positioned myself behind him and began helping him guide the bomb towards the portal at a faster rate.

"Bella.. What are you doing?"

"You are stupid if you think I am going to let you go and get yourself stuck on another planet without me. If you won't listen to my way then I will at least help you out on your way."

"Bella I can do this on my own, think of Kitty."

"Don't! Don't you dare bring her up! Think about Pepper you asshole!"

".. You're really gonna let me be responsible for killing my best friend?"

I heard the trace of panic in his voice as we were close to the portal now. I knew calling me his best friend was his way of saying he appreciated my support but also his last plea for me to let go. Right before entering through it I called out to him.

"Love you too Tony."

We entered through and instantly I felt the pressure from the lack of oxygen. Sanctuary was a black void with millions of stars. It was not nearly as stunning as Asgard and that seemed somehow fitting for what evil resided here. I used my strength to push the bomb right at the gigantic spaceship sitting in the middle of the planet. I looked straight ahead in satisfaction as I saw it explode but when I looked back I saw the portal becoming smaller and Tony falling. Just like I imagined, He had become unconscious. I felt pressure in my chest from lack of air and my head began to pound. I could feel my flames becoming weaker but I used the last bit I had to get to Tony and push him hard towards the portal. My eyes felt too heavy to keep open and once I saw he was passed the portal, I was able to let go and close my eyes as I let my natural state take over.

Steve looked up at the sky after Bella shot off towards Tony. He heard their conversation and couldn't believe that she would willingly go back into space after working 8 months to get back. It was crazy and a part of him was upset that he might never see her again and she didn't bother looking his way but another part understood that they had just met and he didn't really mean anything to her. Realistically he had to admit that his admiration for her grew to new heights. Her bravery astounded him tremendously and even though he had told Stark that he didn't know what he was talking about, he really was attracted to her. At first she had reminded him of Peggy somewhat, but now, they were 2 completely different people. Both good, strong women, but different.

His thoughts are broken when all the Chitauri begin to shake then fall over. Every soldier in the sky fell, and every single one that was gripping onto buildings released their hold. He looked at Thor and let out a sigh of relief. Even Hulk was just standing there with them while looking up at the portal. His gut tightened and Thor looked down while putting his head in his hand.

"Close it."

As soon as he had said it and saw the portal's beam break, he wanted to shout out and have Romanoff open it again. It felt wrong to close it, it felt wrong that he called it, but he knew it had to be done. They kept their eyes trained up but finally the portal closed and the sky remained perfectly blue, no trace that anything had ever happened. Thor's sharp intake of breath made his eyes go back to the air, there he saw the famous red and gold colors of Iron man.

"Son of a gun!"

He looked back up for Bella but felt his breath catch when he finally saw a blue flame much higher in the sky. He couldn't be sure that it was actually her. _Isn't her flame.. the color of normal fire? Why is she blue?_

The more she fell the more color she started to get back. Thor looked on and started swinging his hammer.

"They are not slowing down!"

Stark was closest but before Thor could take off, Hulk's giant form leaped into the air and caught him before laying him down in front of them. Thor pried off Tony's helmet and looked up to Bella. Her fire had drifted her away from the city and more towards the edge of the island. She was over water and no one could get her because her flames kept flickering on and off but she showed no signs of life..

"Go to her! She will land in the water but as soon as her flames are out you need to get her!"

Thor nodded and looked back to Stark before swinging his hammer and taking off towards where Bella had just fallen into the ocean. I turned back to Stark and crouched down while trying to shake him, even putting my hand over him didn't do anything, I couldn't feel for a heartbeat with his armor in the way. Hulk looked down at him and let out a grunt at the same moment that a wet Thor came back with an equally wet Bella to lay next to Stark. Hulk freaked when he saw Bella lying unconscious. He stomped on the street and let out a roar right in their faces. Both of them popped their eyes open and while Bella sucked in a deep breath, Tony let out a small yell.

"What the hell? What just happened? Please tell me nobody kissed me.."

Steve leaned back and felt out of breath now that everything was actually over.

"We won."

"Hhuh alright, yay! Alright good job guys! Lets just not come in tomorrow, lets just, take a day."

It was clear that he was in pain but he turned to Hulk.

"You ever tried shawarma? There's a shawarma joint about 2 blocks from here. I don't know what it is but I want to try it."

I couldn't hold in my laugh. I could begin to see why Bella liked him so much. He had a defensive type of humor. I could still see some fear in his eyes but he was trying to move away from talking about it or drawing attention to his fear. If I looked past the sometimes insulting comments, I could see a good man. Thor looked down at Bella and Stark, he looked at him and grimly looked towards the Stark building… What was left of it of course.

"We are not done yet."

They all looked to the building where Loki still was but Tony simply sighed.

"And then Shawarma after."

He turned and smirked at Bella but for the first time they really payed close attention to her. Tony sat up quickly and grimaced in pain but moved closer to her.

"Bells? What's wrong?"

She looked up at him weakly and took a lot of effort to turn her hands and show us her palms. They still had the blue tint to the low flame on her palms. She cleared her voice but it still sounded like it took a lot out of her to talk.

"I can't turn them off. I'm too tired and keeping the flames at bay is taking too much out of me. My adrenaline needs a restart."

Stark sighed and thought for a moment.

"What do you mean keeping the flames at bay is tiring you out? Shouldn't it be the other way around?"

Stark turned to him and began to explain in a robotic voice.

"Her natural state is in flames. She constantly has to focus on keeping them off. It's why when she loses control the flames come back. If she relaxes completely right now, she would be covered in flames, they are part of her, not just something extra to have on hand. It's also why she can absorb fire without it hurting her."

He looked back at Bella and could see her eyes grow heavier as her little flames at the palm of her hands grew slightly bigger.

"You need to shock your system."

He looked to her apologetically.

"What do you mean?"

"Take off your shield."

"WHAT?"

That got her a little more responsive but still Steve didn't know what Stark meant by her shield.

"That will burn me."

"Yes and it will shock you enough to get your adrenaline back on track and have your healing kick in to give you an energy boost."

She looked to him pitifully but finally nodded and closed her eyes. He payed close attention and was thankful to his advanced sight because he was able to see a slight quiver around the air surrounding her. His eyes widened in shock when she let out a whimper and he saw her hands turn red. Her 'shield' whatever it was exactly, was what kept her from burning? It seemed to work right because she took in a breath from the pain and the air around her seemed to calm instantly and her palms started healing themselves and she got up. She took a deep breath and offered Stark her hand before hugging him.

"What would I do without you?"

"Crash and burn."

She smiled but looked around us. The city was in bits and pieces.

"We are far from done..."

She turned to Hulk and spoke to him softly.

"Hey big guy."

He sat down and petted her head.

"I need you to bring Bruce back, hun."

He frowned at her for a moment and shook his head.

"Come on, please? I need Bruce to go and help the people that are hurt. I promise I won't disappear for a year again okay? Bruce doesn't have to hide anymore. I promise I will find a field soon where you can come out and we can hang out all day okay? Very soon I will do that, I promise. Bruce just needs to help these people. Look around you. Look how broken everything is? Bruce can help us with that."

Hulk actually frowned when he looked around. I had not seen, or actually I had not thought that he was capable of not being angry. Bella did very well with him. She spoke softly at him but didn't baby him and give him his way. Hulk looked at Bella one more time and took a deep breath as he started shrinking and becoming Dr. Banner again. Bella turned quickly to me and extended her hand, silently asking for my shield. Confused, I gave it to her and she reached Dr. Banner right on time to cover his.. intimate body parts. Stark laughed and turned to me.

"Don't worry Captain, I'll sanitize it and give it a nice paint job for you."

"...Thanks.."


	29. Chapter 29

**They call her Human Torch! Chapter 29**

**Bella's POV**

I turned from Bruce and looked around to the rubble in the street.

"It's like the Stark Expo all over again, only.. worse."

Tony sighed.

"Yeah, gotta say, I'm glad not to be behind this one. Fury's got some explaining to do to a lot of people. You think shield is just gonna cover it all up?"

"Knowing them, yeah."

"You were one of them.. now?"

"Now.. I don't know what I will do with my free time.. but I do know that I don't want to be a full time Agent and any missions I work on need to be full disclosure. I want to know exactly why I am doing what I am being ordered to do."

Tony looked at me with something like pity.

"Don't worry about that now, let's just focus on getting you back to the groove of things."

I nodded but sighed and moved to get out of this conversation.

"I'm gonna go find Spiderman. I'll meet you up in your office."

"What was my office."

I kept walking, almost feeling lost. I was back, the battle was over, but now I was starting to feel lost with what to do next, there were so many things but I needed to go one day at a time and relax. I walked 2 streets over when I finally found where Peter was holed up. He was chatting up a waitress and I looked around this section of the street, it was covered in webs with Chitauri soldiers rolled up in them and hanging down every surface. He noticed me for the first time and gave me shrug when I gave him a disapproving look. He turned to the waitress and ended the conversation before coming to walk towards me.

"I thought you weren't going to fight them."

"I didn't! I was helping the civilians, just like you said… but when some of them came this way I just helped keep them still."

I sighed but smiled at him as I hugged him once more. I sagged against him and let out a small sob. It was a mixture of relief and just an overwhelming feeling that I couldn't describe. I was glad to be able to hug him without any threats hanging over our heads.

"Hey, you okay? You look pretty tired. Hell, you all do, even me."

"Yeah, I think I'll sleep for a few days after this. Why were you chatting up that girl? What happened with Gwen?"

"I- We are on a break."

"I'm sorry to hear that Peter. How long ago?"

"It's recent, just 3 months ago. We still talk almost everyday. She just chose to transfer to Stanford, in California. We- "

He cut off mid sentence and sighed.

"It's okay Peter, I understand."

"I just wanted to give her freedom, I mean we have heard all types of stories about long distance relationships and I didn't want her to feel some type of obligation to be checking in with me. She didn't like that though so she has been dating a lot and making sure I know it."

"Ugh, I'm sorry Peter but that is so immature! I get that she is probably hurt because you had no right to make that choice for her, you should have talked to her about it but the way she is handling everything is just petty."

"I know. I apologized but I think that pissed her off more."

"Well.. All you can do is move on and go out in the mean time. I'm not saying go be a man-whore, just don't be afraid to go on a date with a nice girl once in a while. If you want to wait for her to come back, that is fine too, but don't let her hurt you with that information. She doesn't deserve you if that's the case."

He looked down at me and I saw the material under his mask get damp.

"Oh Peter don't cry."

He hugged me and buried his nose in my shoulder.

"I really missed you. No one else can give no nonsense advice like you can. Not even Tony."

"I'm glad to hear you have talked to him. A part of me was afraid that I would come back and our little family would be scattered everywhere."

He opened his mouth to respond but his thigh lit up. I looked up at him and raised my eyebrow at him.

"Tony helped me make a suit with pockets on the inside. It's my phone."

He pulled it out and I heard him talking to May.

"She saw me on the news with you earlier and is itching to see you."

I smiled brightly and bounced on my toes at the thought.

"Well? Get going. Go get out of your suit and shower. We still have to take care of Loki but go get Aunt May and rest a little bit before coming over. I am going to call Logan and have him bring Kitty and Piotr over to my place."

"Yeah, It's not like the Stark building is any good now."

"I'm just thankful that the battle was in these business streets. As far as I know, no apartments or townhouses got damaged. Everything in these 3 blocks are all businesses."

"Well, I did see a homeless shelter that was pretty bad. It's not gonna be livable for a while."

I frowned and looked down in thought.

"Well we will start all the cleanups tomorrow I guess and we can start there."

"Sounds good."

He hugged me once more before shooting a web at a roof and swinging off towards his home. I turned and flew straight up to the balcony of Tony's office before going inside and saw Loki slowly getting up off the floor. I looked towards the elevator and saw it was on the 2nd floor and was slowly climbing.

"You know, I won't boast about our victory, not after all the lives that were lost. That would be a dishonor to them."

He turned weakly towards me and we sat across from each other, just staring.

"I'm sure that must make you the bigger person."

"No, it doesn't. You know a part of me can understand why you would do this. I have a theory."

"Please, enlighten me."

"I feel bad for you. Thanos, the other, the Chitauri, all of them used you. I believe you were at some point, under the influence of the mind stone, just like Selvig and Clint were. They took advantage of your feelings of betrayal and inferiority and used them to bend you to their will, with the hope that you would succeed in taking over Midgard, and so, gaining them the Tesseract. The scepter they loaned you has a powerful influence that was even affecting you in a small way and that, plus their threats and abuse, was what guaranteed you wouldn't betray them."

I paused for a moment but when he made no movement, I kept talking. I noticed the Elevator doors beginning to open but I didn't pay them no mind and Loki didn't either.

"The footage of your arrival was.. strange to see. You were all sweaty, shaky, your eyes were hollow, you were pale, and stumbling around like a drunk.. I think the effects of the mind stone were starting to take a toll. I've been asking myself 'why Midgard?' Why get the Tesseract and rule the poorest planet? It never made sense. Now I think it does. You were manipulated and all your ranting about freedom and how humanity would be free.. All that was what you wanted. You wanted freedom from the influence over your own body and winning yourself Midgard would accomplish that. Then you took a beating from almost everyone on our team… Natasha told me that Clint snapped out of the mind stone influence when she hit his head really hard… You seem like a new man now. You seem lighter, _free_. Tell me, did you finally snap out of it Loki?"

He looked deep into my eyes for a long minute and I saw his eyes darken for a moment before blinking it away and letting out a mocking laugh.

"Is that sympathy I see?"

"No. It's humanity."

"Well, I'm glad the rest of your friends have arrived along with my brother. You see my dear, I have one last trick up my sleeve. I always told you your meddling ways would have consequences."

He put his palms up for a moment and smirked at me before closing his eyes. I don't know what I was expecting but nothing ever happened. I looked around and saw that the rest of them had frozen and their eyes were unfocused. I ran at Loki and knocked him down, hoping he would break his concentration but he relaxed and sat back down calmly.

"Don't fret, they are not being hurt. I just wanted to show them how weak you really are. They looked up to you as an equal in this battle but after this, they will see how easily you crumbled in Asgard, how easily you gave up. I will show them what monsters the frost giants are, They will see you kill one yourself only to drop to your knees in defeat and sorrow, giving up your family to save those monsters. They will pity you for the weakling that you are. Little girl. So emotional, so _human_."

Thor came back to himself quickly and marched up to Loki before grabbing his neck and slamming him down. He turned to me and was confused.

"Why didn't his magic work on you?"

"Nothing that messes with my head usually does, remember I told you about my shield? How did you break out of it?"

"I didn't. I was there. He wasn't showing me anything new. Only I never knew you saved that family when you slayed the frost giant. He must have seen you and Sif on his way to the Bifrost."

I only nodded but braced myself for when the others came back from it. I didn't want to see them give me looks of pity. Thor must have known what I was thinking because he put his arm around me.

"They will not think less of you sister. Only a fool would see your sacrifice as weak. You are a warrior for good reason, never forget that."

I took a shaky breath and instantly they all sagged as they came back into their own bodies. Clint and Natasha looked murderous as they walked over to stand over Loki. Steve looked at me with concern but he looked away when he met my eyes. Bruce had tears streaming down his eyes, and Tony tried not to shed them but he hid his tears and just strode over to me to hug me tightly to him for a long minute.

"I love you and everything you do."

"I love you t-"

"I'm not done yet. You are too nice and self sacrificing… I mean good for you, you saved a bunch of blue men group rejects but…"

He sighed and hugged me harder.

"I'm glad, no- I'm.. I missed you. I'm glad you are back and I'm sorry you went through th- I'm sorry you had to make that call."

He took a deep breath and I had tears in my eyes just because I had never seen him so worked up over anything.

"It's okay Tony. I'm back, we all survived, we can move on now."

He nodded and cleared his throat while straightening himself out casually. I had to smile at his lacking ability to show deep emotions for too long.

"So.. Shawarma first? Or do we have to do something about Donnie Darko over there first?"

Clint and I laughed but it looked like we were the only ones who understood the reference. Thor smiled at me and took out bindings for Loki.

"I would gladly join you all for Midgardian food. Bella has told everyone in Asgard how delightful it is. I'm sure my brother would not mind waiting for me."

Loki glared up at him but was too weak from all the beatings to move.

"Alright Tony, let's hurry up and go get your Shawarma. I want to get home."

30 minutes later, after slowly walking through the destroyed streets of New York, and after bribing the workers in the kitchen, we were finally able to sit on the only undamaged table and eat the famous Shawarma. Middle eastern food was pretty good, I was starving since I burned everything in my stomach during the battle but still, Nat and I only got 1 dish each. Tony and Clint got 2, but Thor, Bruce and Steve took the cake with 3 wraps each and it looked like they might order more.

"Sister Bella, you were right about Midgardian food. This is quite the delicacy. Volstagg will be displeased he missed this."

I laughed for a moment but frowned when I though of how different things will be now.

"It will be strange, not seeing you all everyday."

"Yes, we will have to adjust. However, with the Bifrost repaired, we can visit soon and you can come back anytime you wish."

I changed the subject when I saw Tony stop eating and clench his hands. I turned to Steve and tried to make conversation with him.

"Do you know what you will do after this?"

"I'm not sure. I guess I will go back to what I was doing before.."

"What was that?"

"Shield was letting me stay in a cabin they have. I usually stayed there and went out to the nearest gym."

"That's it?"

He looked down and rubbed the back of his neck. I sighed and slowly put my hand over his.

"Steve, I understand that you might still want some time to process everything that has changed… but, how can you ever really do that if you don't know what has changed? You aren't out there learning new things. I would be more than happy to help you there."

"Oh no, Bella, thanks, I'm thankful for you offering to do that. You are actually the first that has really offered, but I know you have a lot of things to do now that you are back, there are somethings that you need time for as well."

"Yeah there are but it's not going to take forever, and I won't be able to do them all at once anyway. Besides, you need a home. You can't stay on a hideout house forever."

He looked at me in shock, realizing that I wasn't just offering him help in catching him up but also offering my home up for him.

"I can't intrude on your family like that."

I laughed.

"I'm sure they wouldn't mind. Besides, they are only there on the weekends. I'm alone all week, I used to fill my time by doing things around the Shield offices but now, I'm not going back to be a Shield Agent full time. If you want to do your own thing, that is fine but don't say no just because you feel you are intruding. I'm pretty sure that once everyone gets back on track with their lives, I will be left to sit in the living room alone with nothing to do. Seriously, ask Tony if you don't believe me."

Steve smiled softly at me but I could still see the debate in his eyes. He glanced up and Tony nodded at him enthusiastically.

"Oh yeah, it's pathetic really. I don't know what she used to do before Pepper and I graced her life. Kitty wasn't in it yet, Jane and Darcy lived off in Virginia..."

Clint laughed at my expense and nudged Natasha.

"Yeah Cap, don't worry, she welcomes company. When we started training her, she had us over for dinner every Friday just to make dinner for more than 1 person. Make yourself a favor and stay with her, she makes amazing food."

Well now I was the one looking down embarrassed. They made me sound like some lonely person in need of a cat! I noticed I still had my hand on his and pulled it back quickly before he thought I was coming on to him or something. God he is from the 40's! With the way I have been acting and cussing, he probably thinks I'm a whore or something! I cleared my throat and got up to throw away my trash but ended up cleaning after Tony, Bruce, and Clint too. I heard movement behind me on my way to the trash and turned to see Steve with his own trash.

"I'll take it."

"It's fine. I'm already up anyway thanks."

I nodded awkwardly and we walked together in silence across the room. I threw away my trash fast and turned to go back to the table, I was close to running just to get away from the tension but he grabbed my wrist as I turned to go. Instantly I was furious with myself for my stupid reaction. My hair lit up in flames as my control slipped for just a second.

"I'm sorry! I didn't mean to startle you."

"No, you didn't, not really. I'm not use to people touching me unexpectedly but I knew you were behind me so I should have been prepared. I'm just tired I guess."

"I know what you mean. I never want to sleep again after so many years of it but.. even I wouldn't mind a few hours right now."

I smiled softly at him and turned once more to go back to the table, only to be stopped again by him but this time by his words.

"I didn't mean to come off as rude, earlier. I should have given you an answer instead of staying quiet. I'm shocked at your generosity, I wasn't joking when I said you were the first to offer to help me adjust better. Thank you Bella, I would really like to take you up on your offer."

I felt my mood lift instantly but refrained from jumping.

"I'm glad. It will be fun! I've never been a teacher before."

He chuckled lightly and I melted. _His smile is amazing!_

"We can get your things from the cabin tomorrow, or actually, we can just have Fury send an Agent for them, he owes you that much at least."

"My suitcase is actually in the Helicarrier already."

"Everything you have is in a suitcase? Just one?"

"It's the clothes that Shield has given me."

I nodded but kept quiet. This man owned nothing! His things had to be _somewhere,_ probably museums…

Eventually everyone finished eating and we got up to go back to the Stark building. Selvig met us back there with a capsule to hold the Tesseract in. Thor placed it in there gently and offered Loki to hold on to the other half.

"Sister, I will see you soon. I know you may wish to never return, but I will visit you when Heimdall rebuilds the Bifrost."

"Do you want me to pass any kind of message to Jane?"

He smiled softly but looked down with a frown.

"Anything I say to her, must be done in person."

"Well don't wait too long, there is a point in time where she won't be able to forgive your leave."

"I understand. Believe me, the first trip taken in the Bifrost will be to Earth."

He turned but I had to rush forward last minute. My hands shook slightly and I could see everyone else staring at me curiously.

"Thor!"

He turned knowingly.

"I know you are right, I probably will be afraid of using the Bifrost, I would be afraid of getting stuck again but, I know Asgard will be busy restoring peace and fighting the Marauders. If you need any help at all, Seriously, just come get me. I will suck it up and do what I have to do. I already spoke to your father about it so if he formally asks the court for me, don't try to change his mind okay? I gave my word."

"Thank you sister. I will not discredit your word."

I took a deep breath and nodded at him as he took me in his arms one more time and gave me a strong hug. Tony came to stand by me and walked me 10 paces back.

"Tony what are you doing?"

"Last time you were sucked into another planet because you were standing too close to _him_. That is so not happening again."

I smiled at him but looked back at Thor. He looked around and smiled at everyone.

"It was an honor to fight beside each and every one of you."

With that he twisted the capsule and the blue energy of the cube washed over them until there was nothing where they stood.

"Alright.. Well who's coming to our temporary headquarters?"

Everyone looked to Tony a little lost so I took over.

"Come on, let's all just go and whoever wants to sleep until next year then do it at my place and we'll figure out the rest later."

They gave in easily and followed me down the street. Once we got outside of the 3 block radius that everyone had evacuated, there were crowds and crowds of people. There were army men helping the police to organize crowds. Buses were taking people to nearest hospitals and others were trying to take people to their homes but there were too many people showing up and looking for friends and family or just to watch things happen. The crowds caught sight of us and went crazy! We all looked ready to hide, well all except Tony. Some were here cheering just because they saw us on TV but others were yelling out their thank you's for saving them. News stations were parked all around but we ignored all of the attention and walked straight to the first cop we found.

"Excuse me?"

The cop turned and froze when he saw all of us there.

"Uh, you! It's all of you!"

"Hi, um, can you direct us to your Chief?"

"Chief?"

I had to remember that 'Chief' was not a term used in bigger cities.

"Um, Sheriff? Superintendent? Police commissioner?"

"Oh! Yes, our commissioner is on sight. I will radio him."

It took less than 2 minutes for an older man in his late 50's to run up to us.

"Hello, thank you for requesting to speak with me. We are thankful for your service, we really are-"

"Sir! We do not need to be thanked, for what we did. We do however, need sleep. I wanted to touch base with you about how we will proceed or what the plan was?"

"Uh, well miss, as of now we don't have much of a plan. The only goal I gave the force was to get these people home safely, get the hurt people to a hospital, and do a check of every single damaged building to make sure there are no trapped civilians."

"Okay, that's good. We, actually I won't speak for the rest of them, but I will be back tomorrow to help start the clean up of the streets, I will start on the homeless shelter that was destroyed and go from there."

"Well thank you ma'am but you don't need to be here, you have all done the city a service by helping with.. those _aliens" _

Steve walked up next to me and nodded at the man.

"I will be here with her tomorrow, I agree that a homeless shelter takes priority."

I smiled at him and the commissioner gave up on trying to kiss our ass.

"Alright, let's go home."

We finally turned and fought our way through the crowds until it thinned out and we were able to walk freely. We walked for 3 minutes before Tony stopped all of us.

"What are we doing?"

"What do you mean?"

"Are we really walking from the financial district all the way to Times Square?"

I groaned in exhaustion.

"I forgot how far we are.. Everything was walking distance in Asgard."

"Well Toto, you're not in Asgard anymore."

We all laughed but stopped short when Steve let out a booming laugh. In fact we all turned to him to stare.

"Oh my god how old is that movie?!"

"Clint!"

Steve finally looked at us and I saw his cheeks turn a bright red at the attention. He cleared his throat for show and composed himself.

"The Wizard of Oz was shown in 1939, I believe."

"Whoa."

We paused for a moment but Tony was already on the phone.

"- yes. Yup, right on that corner, yes exactly. Yep, there's a Jersey Mike's subs right in front of us. No, we need a van Taxi. There's 6 of us… Yes I know that cabs are not coming this way right now but we just saved New York and half of us can't fly."

"TONY!"

He ignored me and kept talking, eventually getting what he wanted. We made small talk for 4 minutes but soon a yellow van showed up with black letters all around. Tony stood straight and called shotgun while Clint and Nat sat in the back. The middle row only had 2 seats so after Bruce and Steve got in I sat on the car floor by the door.

"Sorry, I should have made sure you had a seat before I sat down."

I laughed but waved him down when he suggested that we switch seats.

"We're almost there, It's fine. God I just thought about how dusty and smelly my apartment must be! I haven't been in it in 8 months so I can imagine how much my fridge must smell too!"

Tony piped up from the front with a forced casual tone.

"Don't worry, I came every month to watch over a cleaning crew tidy up from top to bottom and restock your fridge every month. They changed and washed sheets too, just in case."

My breath caught and tears fell instantly. All I could do was stare at the back of his head and try to keep my breathing quiet as to not break out sobbing. I looked up at Steve when I felt his hand rest on my shoulder. He smiled softly and I tried to do the same back. I noticed he looked up at Tony and had a pensive look for the rest of the ride.

I didn't want to move my shoulders and run the risk of him moving his hand so instead of wiping my tears away, I let my face and eyes heat up to the point that they evaporated.

"Finally!"

I looked up after hearing Tony and almost cried again just looking up at the building. We got out and he swiped his card for the cab fare before pressing a few keys to leave a big tip. I ducked my head back in before he left and thanked him for agreeing to drive us under the circumstances. Bruce walked beside me while I hugged Tony to me as we walked into the lobby. I had yet to say anything about him having my place cleaned and my kitchen stocked. I didn't think I would say anything but I just felt the need to hang on to him. He kept proving time and time again that he was the brother I never had, he never gave up on me coming back.

"So Bella, this is your apartment building? I look forward to seeing the lab you talked so much about whenever you visited."

"Oh Bruce you'll love it! Tony has made even more upgrades since I last saw you."

We all walked in and the lobby attendant jumped up from her perch before we made it to the elevator.

"Ms. Swan! It's so great to see you back! We were so upset when you disappeared all those months ago and we have all been stuck on the news, so happy to see you back and along side Mr. Stark again!"

"Uh, I'm glad to be back, Thanks. And um, you know Mr. Stark and I are not… we don't.."

Tony laughed and came to wrap his arm around me.

"We're not into incest."

"Tony!"

The poor girl stuttered out and turned red as she backed away apologizing about her mistake. We turned and kept walking to the elevator before calling it and having the doors open instantly. Once I scanned my hand and the elevator shot up, I turned my glare on Tony.

"I have to see that girl almost everyday and now she will be uncomfortable every time she see's us Tony!"

"Don't blame me, If I hadn't of said anything you would still be there rambling!"

I rolled my eyes but turned to the doors, waiting with excitement for them to open. I sighed in relief when they did but I heard the usual newcomer gasp from Bruce and Steve. I stepped out and looked around. Everything was exactly the same, same lighting, same furniture, same citrus smell from the cleaners and candles I use. Everything was perfect, now all that was needed was the rest of my family in the living room. Tony let go of me and stepped away.

"I'm gonna go shower and change."

"Oh me too! I feel gross."

Natasha and Clint agreed and since they had clothes stashed in a guest room, they went ahead after Tony to freshen up. I would have gone to my room but I had 2 confused men here looking around in awe.

"Hey, you guys want to shower too? I can find clothes that will fit you."

They nodded quickly and followed me up to the second floor rooms. I showed them each to a free guest room that no one had claimed yet and went to Logan's room to find clothes. I got slacks and a button up shirt for Bruce but I got some jeans and a tight Henley for Steve, I knew the style might be too modern for him but it was selfish on my part. I really wanted to see him in some sexy tight clothes.

I took the piles to each man and showed them where the essentials were. Steve had a little more explaining needed though so I set the clothes down on the bathroom counter, put up new towels and showed him what each thing was for.

"I know what most of this is of course, I just don't know what these 5 are."

"Okay well first of all lets move these aside. This is all new by the way so don't worry. I just opened this toothbrush, razor, comb, you get the idea. This is a sugar scrub for your face, just get about this much and scrub your face with it, wash it off, follow with this, it's a face wash but its moisturizing so it soothes your skin after the scrub. This is beard balm so you don't need it since you don't have facial hair. This is for after you get out of the shower, it's deodorant but this is in spray form. I have a solid form if you want?"

"No this is fine, thank you. It says here to hold it 4 or 5 inches away from my underarms, that is about this much right?"

"Yeah about that. It doesn't have to be exact though so don't worry it it's too close or farther."

"Okay, got it. We only worried about having a bar of soap back then but now I think those are rare to see, everything is in liquid form. Last thing, what is this?"

_Fucking hell.._Damn Tony for making the rest of the guys buy this..

"Um.. I don't use that.. Well I use a version of it, but for females… It's like the body wash.. but, for your.. you know, your private areas.. You use it to wash your…. t_esticles..."_

I almost whispered the word but did not dare to look him in the eye while saying it. I saw his feet shifting awkwardly and heard him clear his throat.

"I never thought there would be special soap for that, explains why it's called _ball wash_… uh, thanks Bella, sorry for asking."

"No, it's fine. It shouldn't be uncomfortable, I mean it's the natural human body right? Yeah, well uh, I'm gonna go shower now so.. See you in a bit."

"Right, yes, of course."

I nodded and marched right out before running up to my room. _God that was embarrassing! Damn Tony __and his fucking ball wash__! _When I walked into my room I took a deep breath, I wanted to jump onto my bed and sleep but I was too dirty and I had to stay up until I could see Kitty again. My shower was fast and soothing as I turned the water up as hot as it would go. I turned up my body heat and was dry by the time I got out of the bathroom. Walking into my closet was strange since I had gotten used to more formal looking clothes by now. Deciding to keep up with the 'good' clothes trend, I chose an actual set of pajamas instead of my ratty t shirt and ripped sweats. I put on the thin light gray jogger pants and put on a black push up bra before slipping into a black tank top. It was casual to be around family but it was all thin and tight material that made my body look awesome…

_Why am I trying to look good for Steve? I hardly know him, I don't know if I will hate his personality or if I am ready to flirt my way into a relationship… Is this what it's going to be like from now on? I hope not, maybe living with him is not a good idea… Oh who the fuck am I kidding? I was ready to jump his bones__ as soon as I felt his body under mine, then I saw his face and it was a done deal._

I looked at myself in the mirror and decided that I would not make a move until he did. I had to keep things fine between us while I caught him up on everything he needed to know. Not to say I wouldn't casually flirt here or there, just enough for him to notice me but not enough for him to think it was on purpose… Yup, alright! With my confidence restored I looked in the mirror one last time and turned to go back to the living room. Tony was already there with Clint and Bruce but as soon as I offered drinks, Steve showed up too. He looked really good.

"Modern clothes fit you very well Steve."

He looked down at himself and blushed slightly.

"Thanks. You look much more relaxed as well."

"Yeah, I figured I might be able to get some sleep in a few hours if I'm lucky so I may as well be ready to crash."

He chuckled lowly in his throat. I turned back to the guys in the room and found them all staring.

"What?"

They smirked and shook their heads but kept quiet.

"Alright… anyway, like I was saying, you guys want anything to drink?"

"The biggest bottle of whiskey you have please."

I nodded while giggling as the 3 guys nodded eagerly. Nat came up behind me and sat down on the nearest chair.

"I'll have an orange tea please. If you have any."

I nodded and turned to Steve but he just moved aside for me to walk ahead of him.

"I'll help."

I led him to the kitchen and opened my fridge, it was filled to the brim with every ingredient I could think of.

"Thank god for Tony."

"It was a really great thing for him to do. To make sure your home was ready for you. He is good with you, I've noticed."

I scoffed and turned towards him so he could see my eyebrow lift.

"You say that now, wait till you see him with Pepper and Kitty though. So would you like any type of juice, soda, alcohol, tea?"

"Um, I think I could just go for a big glass of water."

"Water, coming right up."

I took out a tray from under the sink and set down Nat's tea with a bottle of whiskey and 3 rock glasses, and an iced tea for me as well but Steve looked at me peculiarly when he saw me add in some bourbon.

"What? It takes the edge off mentally. I can't really get drunk but the slight flavor is soothing enough. Want one?"

He nodded and agreed to try it but I still set him up with a highball glass of water just in case. I froze in the entrance of the living room when I heard Jarvis inform me of the elevator moving up. I put down the tray on the coffee table quickly and waited for the elevator to open straight into the second floor. I almost started pacing, expecting Kitty but I was only slightly put off when I saw Peter and Aunt May standing there. When my eyes met hers and they filled with tears I threw my self at her and hugged her as tight as her little body would allow.

"My dear it's so great to see you!"

She cried on my shoulder and I had tears myself, never having seen her this way.

"I missed you both very much. How have you been?"

"Oh we've been quite alright, missing our family nights but now you are back!"

I hugged her once more and when she moved aside I hugged Peter again.

"Got some decent rest?"

"Yeah, pretty good 2 hours but after that she kept waking me up to say you were expecting us."

I laughed and offered them drinks but they both declined.

"Oh! Before you sit down, I'd like to introduce you to Bruce and Steve. Guys, this is May Parker and her nephew, Peter Parker."

They both got up and exchanged proper introductions before finally sitting down. Peter chose to sit closer to Bruce since he knew a lot about his work and they were able to get talking science pretty fast. May chose to sit by Natasha but not before letting Steve know that her father was a big fan of his work. To that, Steve awkwardly thanked her but I noticed he chose to sit away from her.

Steve sat and was happy to look around the room of people. He saw a real family here and had to remember to ask Bella how she was related to the Parker's, not that it seemed to matter because she called everyone else in the room family as well, I think it was just her, the comfort was clearly seen in everyone's face when she was in the middle of the room. Stark's file had not left a good taste on my mouth and meeting him on his own would have probably led to us not working together but my opinion of him changed just by seeing his whole being just soften around her. It's like he was unguarded with her and when she was not around, you could almost see the walls in his eyes come up.

"Cap, you sure you don't want a shot of this?"

I looked towards Agent Barton and then towards the bottle. I had never gotten drunk or even had more than one glass of alcohol at a time when I was human, once I went through with the serum I had joined different groups of troops to celebrate victories but since my tolerance had been sealed by the transformation, I never found a point in drinking the stuff, lord knows it's not the best in taste.

"Thank you Barton but I'll stick to this tea, it has some bourbon."

"Oh come on man, we're off the field, call me Clint."

I raised my glass to him in appreciation and told him to call me Steve. Bruce interrupted his conversation with Peter while listening to Clint.

"Yeah, call me Bruce."

Bella laughed while listening to us go back and forth with the whole 'call me' situation.

"Why don't we all agree that we will call each other by our first names?"

Everyone shrugged at the simple solution and nodded. Minutes passed and I noticed Bella grow more and more restless. She would shift her feet or sigh every couple of minutes until she sagged her shoulders and turned to Tony.

"Tony, when did Logan say he would be here?"

He shook his head and lifted his sleeve to look at his watch.

"Patience grasshopper, you know how bad city traffic is, now imagine it with a whole bunch of main streets closed off and half the city on their way to the same place? I'm waiting for Pepper to get here too and I'm waiting for updates from Trent too, he agreed to fly down Jane and Darcy but they won't get here until tomorrow night probably since the airport is jammed with people."

None of what he said made sense… _Why would he call Bella a grasshopper?_ He looked towards her but she didn't look even slightly offended at being called an insect. He didn't look long though, her shower had made her look perfectly put together. Her hair fell in small ringlets over her uncovered shoulders that exposed the glowing skin. He had seen her when he stepped into the living room but had to pretend she didn't have a body if he had any hopes of speaking coherent sentences to her. _How am I going to learn anything if I have to focus on where to properly look at her?_ He had to think on that for a moment but flinched slightly when Bella jumped up from beside me. She hopped up and I noticed Stark come to put an arm around her to keep her in place. Everyone else stepped towards the side so as to not crowd the elevator door. It all confused me but I decided to join the crowd on the side. I was standing behind everyone so I couldn't see the elevator doors properly but I could clearly see Bella, her eyes were glossy and she looked to be holding her breath but that all went away when the elevator dinged. Her breath left her body and she fell to her knees as full body sobs ran through her. I took a step forward, wondering what the in the world could make her crumble like that but stopped short when I heard a feminine scream.

"MOM!"

A smaller body ran quickly and launched itself directly onto Bella. Both held each other tightly with their bodies shaking from the force of the crying. The smaller body kept repeating 'mom' over and over as she choked over her sobs. Bella went from hugging her fiercely to pulling back to pet her hair and look into the girls face.

"Baby girl."

The phrase seemed to throw the girl into sobbing harder and he noticed Mrs. Parker crying silently as a crying Peter held her to him. Steve looked back and forth between everyone but couldn't wrap is head around it. _Mom? _She is a mom?! As confused as he was, it was heartbreaking to see both girls fall apart so completely. They held each other on the ground but made no move to get up since their sobs were still rocking through their bodies. Stark watched on from the other corner of the room and had a small smile on his face even though there were tears that would escape his eyes once in a while. I turned when Natasha pulled on my shoulder and nodded for me to follow her. I did so silently and went through the kitchen until we ended up in a massive dining room. It looked like it could host dozens of people.

"I thought I could explain the situation since you looked pretty confused back there and I needed an out from the emotion overdrive."

"Oh, I didn't mean to look on rudely, I just wasn't aware that she was married. It wasn't on her file."

The thought of her married shouldn't have bothered me so much but it did. I just assumed that she was single since she said she was alone most of the week. What kind of bastard leaves his wife alone for days at a time? The thought angered me, unless he was some type of army man…

"She is not married. Why would you think that?"

"She's not? But, I just thought, because she is a mother."

Natasha smirked at me but her eyes took on a harder edge.

"Okay, modern times remember? Now a day's a woman can have a child without being married and she won't be looked down upon by society. It's called being a single mother, which is what Bella is. Second, Kitty isn't biologically hers. She adopted Kitty a few years ago when she was 19 I think and Kitty was about 15. Kitty is a mutant."

I fought the small smile that formed on my face but in the end I couldn't slip it off. Bella had actually adopted someone just a few years younger. It made more sense now how all the news reports on her file said she didn't have family but now it seemed she had more than plenty of it. She adopted her family, it was all people that needed a family and she formed one with them. He grew a greater appreciation for her. He was drawn to her beauty but the more he learned about her as a person, the more he wanted to know.

"That's amazing."

She smirked at him in a way that said 'I know something you don't' but he couldn't ask since she motioned that they should go back. He walked in right on time to see the ladies get off the floor. So that was the 'Kitty' everyone kept talking about, she actually could pass as Bella's daughter with how alike they looked but Kitty was still shorter. When she loosened her arms around Bella, 2 men came forward. One was huge, probably 4 or 5 inches taller than I with muscled arms. Bella engulfed him in a hug and cried some more before stepping back and tugging on his hair.

"Piotr! You died your hair?!"

He laughed and shed some tears but she took on a maternal stance and wiped his cheeks before hugging him again. The boy nodded and said some things in her ear before letting go and moving to stand by Kitty. The second man looked older, probably late 30's, his hair was messy but not bad, it looked like he purposely made it like that, he looked gruff and almost rude with a cigar in his mouth but the moment that Bella faced him he softened his face and stared at her for a moment before he opened his arms and she ran into them.

"Logan!"

"We really missed you around here little darlin' don't you go disappearing on me again. Might have to chain you up in a cell if it happens again."

She giggled into his chest for a moment before she visibly hugged him tighter and her soft cries were heard.

_Little darling? _What kind of endearment is that for someone who is supposed to be your friend only? Were they just friends? I mean he had her daughter, clearly he took care of her while Bella was gone… He sounded southern and that only served to annoy him slightly more. He was nudged in the back and turned to see Stark standing there with a grin and a piece of paper folded up. His face scrunched up in confusion but he took it nonetheless, opening it up it had messy and clearly quickly written words written down.

'_Your not so little green monster is showing!_

_You can relax, they are like siblings is all. No competition for her affections yet! (;'_

I rolled my eyes at the competition part but did relax slightly knowing their bond was like the one she had with Tony. Still I looked up at him with confusion and mouthed the words '_Green monster?'_ hoping he would explain what that meant or what it was. His grin slipped and he rolled his eyes before pulling his phone and typing on it before passing it to me.

'_Green monster = Jealousy.'_

I glared at him and passed the phone back before turning back to Bella and choosing to ignore him for the rest of the night.

_Why would I be jealous? I had absolutely no claim over Bella, I had never even met her before today._


	30. Chapter 30

**They call her Human Torch! Chapter 30**

**1:00 am**

Mostly everyone had gone to sleep but in the living room still remained Bella, Kitty, Tony, Piotr, Steve, and Clint. Peter and Aunt May had left a while ago and at some point Tony had offered to have his driver drive Clint to the airport and have his jet fly him home to his family. An offer Clint jumped on quickly, so now he was half asleep, just waiting.

Bella tried to ask and catch up as much as she could but there was only so much she could ask.

'It seems Ms. Potts is in the elevator.'

Jarvis' voice came out lowly in the speakers since a lot of people were asleep but still Tony jumped up and smiled as he went to wait by the doors and asking Jarvis to send the elevator straight to the second floor.

Across the living room, Steve watched on almost in amusement as the doors pinged open and a tall blonde woman strode out and stopped directly in front of Stark. Her breath hitched and her eyes watered but as Stark went to kiss her she pulled her hand back and brought it against his chest. He snapped his eyes open and stepped back bewildered.

"Wh-"

"What were you thinking?! Why would you go through a.. a- whatever that hole in the sky was! Do you know what I went through?! Watching the news and seeing how they pretty much said you committed suicide to save the city?! With Bella too! Where is she?!"

Stark smirked amused and copied her tone of voice.

"Oh Tony I'm so glad you're not dead! It was so noble of you to save all of New York! I love you sooo much!"

She finally let a tear slip out as she sighed and smirked back at him a moment before throwing herself on him and kissing him. Everyone looked away when they passed 6 seconds and were still locked together by the lips. Bella gently pried Kitty's arms off from around her and got up to clear her throat.

"Well I don't think I want that type of welcome back but I would take a hug."

Instantly Pepper let go of Tony and ran passed him towards me. I stood taller to brace myself as she hugged me. She cried softly for a minute before composing herself and whispering in my ear, Her voice shook and cracked as she spoke and my eyes spilled tears for the hundredth time tonight.

"He needed you _so_ much. We all did."

I knew what she meant by that. I knew it was her way of saying that he had a hard time finding someone who tolerated him the way I did. The thought made me want to laugh and cry at the same time.

"I missed you too Pep."

She let go and looked around at the ones still awake and waved but chose to sit by Kitty and wrap an arm around her. Now that Pepper was here and Tony's driver had taken Clint to the airport, I could finally go to sleep.

"Okay, well, Sorry to cut it short but I really need some sleep. I know most of you won't wake up until midday but I will make breakfast at the usual time before getting ready to go start our end of the clean up. Anyone who wants to join is welcome of course."

Steve figured now would be a good time to try and sleep.

"I will go with you to help start the clean up."

"Great. We'll have to get some more clothes for you soon though. I didn't miss Logan's glare when he saw you and Bruce rocking his clothes!"

She said goodnight once more and turned to leave while still laughing.

Steve didn't like that he was wearing another man's clothes. Once he was properly introduced, the guy didn't seem that bad but he still didn't have a good read on him. It seemed he and Bella had a closer bond that she did with Stark but she spends more time physically with Stark. He didn't know what it meant or how that worked but there had to be more there than just friends between them.

**Next morning. October 9, 2015**

Bella woke up with a start and looked around frantically while her heartbeat calmed and her breathing regulated. She couldn't remember what her dream had been about exactly but when she saw Kitty curled up next to her still asleep she calmed down enough to relax her tense form. Kitty had stuck by her like glue and last night when I had announced that I was going to bed, she came running after and asked if she could stay with me.

She was in deep sleep and I saw it was only 7:40 and breakfast wasn't usually started until 9:30. I went into the bathroom and showered to start off the day, I made a conscious effort _not_ to dress up since we were going to help the clean up after breakfast. I put on some black skinny jeans with combat boots and decided to put on my Marvin Gaye- What's going on t shirt. I put my hair up in a french braid twisted bun and did a quick eyeliner. Once I was out of the bathroom I noticed Kitty had curled up tighter and was slightly shivering now that my abnormal body heat was no longer next to her, I covered her with a thick blanket and figured she would probably sleep for another hour or maybe 2 since the smell of food wouldn't get up here to the 3rd floor.

_What the hell?_ I could see some kitchen lights on before I even went in but as soon as I turned the corner I stopped short when I spotted Steve sitting at the breakfast bar with a glass of water in his hand. He looked to be deep in thought and I hated to bug him but at the same time I was worried if he was okay.

"Steve?"

He flinched slightly but swung his head around to face me.

"You okay?"

"Yes, sorry, I didn't hear you coming. Why do you ask?"

"Well, your sitting all alone with nothing turned on..."

He looked around and scratched the back of his neck in thought.

"Yeah, I didn't see any radio's and I couldn't figure out how to turn on the TV or any of those fancy screens. I didn't want to wander around or make it seem like I was snooping so I stuck to the kitchen and living room."

"Crap, Steve I'm so sorry, I should have given you some type of tour last night before I went to bed. I just figured everyone would pass out until midday. You agreed to live here though so this is your home now and you have the freedom to walk around anywhere without worrying if I would be okay with you being there or not."

I looked up and frowned when I saw the wall sensors were on. I started speaking once more but this time it wasn't directed to Steve.

"Jarvis? Why didn't you assist Steve when he entered the room and got near the TV?"

'My settings are preset by Mr. Stark to assist people with a resident and or visitor file. Would you like to change these settings Madam?'

"No, but Steve will be staying here from now on so I want a resident file made for his preferences. If he needs anything that you cannot do then you contact me, understood? Also, you know I prefer Bella over Madam."

'Yes Bella. Would you like me to input all of Captain America's and Steven Grant Rogers' files into the system?'

I raised a brow Steve's way.

"Grant? That's your middle name?"

He nodded but was still looking around in confusion.

"What system does the voice want to put my files under?"

"Oh, Jarvis is Tony's baby. He is a system that is in every electronic we have, he assists us in everything we need while also keeping our information safe from hacking, you know, that stuff. He wants to load your public files and videos you have been in so he can study your personality patterns in order to learn your interests and the best way to assist you."

His mouth fell open about midway through my explanation but he did manage to nod his approval.

"Would you like a tour before breakfast?"

"Thank you, I would appreciate that."

I nodded and smiled as he got up to follow me down the stairs.

"Okay well, this is the first floor, we use the first floor and second floor the most. This front part is pretty cold, it's very formal but that's how this whole floor is, every time we have visitors that we don't trust or want around too much, we pretty much keep them on this floor only because it doesn't have any personal items."

"I can tell the furniture and decoration is not as comfortable as it is upstairs. Why does everyone spend so much time here then?"

"Well because this first half is cold but down this hall way it gets fun. We have game rooms and movie rooms for when all of us are here and we don't all fit in the living room upstairs. Then we also have the gym, basketball court, and we have a track that we built in there. The danger room is done but we haven't used it much.. it was finished only 2 months before I got stuck in Asgard."

He nodded in understanding to the last part but scrunched his face in confusion.

"Danger room?"

"Yeah, it's to train. I'll show you right now, but first, here is the locker rooms, there's showers in here for when you use the gym and connected to the locker rooms on this side, here is the pool."

He stopped and looked around.

"That is yours?"

"What do you mean?"

"Do the rest of the residents in this building come up to use it or is it private?"

"Oh no, it's private. Between our 5 floors, there are 2 floors full of servers and equipment so no residents could get up here by accident and the elevator we used is only for our floors as well so whenever you use it from the lobby, only use that one."

"Wow, I mean, I'm still stuck on the pool, your private pool is as big as the public pool we had when I was a kid."

I smiled but looked down kinda embarrassed, I remember how grand it all seemed the first time I saw it and now showing it to him, I just hoped I didn't come off as materialistic.

"Yeah, when I first saw this place I remember thinking it was all so unnecessary."

He laughed but looked back at the pool. I think he was fighting against the urge to jump in. I led him back out to the hall and scanned my hand to open the next door. It opened up to the monitor room with the big window that looked down to the extensive white room.

"I'm guessing this is the danger room? What is so dangerous about it other than the opulence on the color white?"

I smirked and waved him over to the system. It had over 100 switches and nobs. He looked lost while I booted up the computer.

"Pick a setting."

"Excuse me?"

"A setting, anything. Give me a type of place."

"Well, since this is called a danger room, I'll go with a dangerous… alley at night."

"Hmm alright, I'll give you that one. Alleys can be dangerous."

"Spent most of my younger years getting beat up in them."

I cracked a smile his way while I worked on the computer.

"I take it happened when you were human? No one I know would try to get you in an alley now."

He laughed but shrugged.

"No I get it, I always make sure to tell Kitty not to be found alone in an alley. I've had my run in's there too."

His brow furrowed but he took on an almost angry stance.

"Don't tell me someone had the nerve to hit you in an alley?"

"No, it didn't get that far. I was still human at the time and got lost while walking back to meet my friends after separating from them to go to a bookstore, I walked away from the store fronts and somehow ended up in more secluded areas filled with warehouses, some drunks were walking my way and so I ducked into an alley to take a shortcut and get away from them, the group turned out to be bigger, they had split up and planned on me going through that alley."

I paused and looked up at him but he looked absolutely horrified, and pissed, his hands were balled up and he was close to shaking so I hurried to try and play it off.

"It's okay Steve, nothing happened. I didn't- you know. They didn't have their.. _way_.. with me."

He calmed slightly but looked more relieved.

"How did you get away?"

"Well, I was being circled by them when a car showed up and out comes the guy who would later be my boyfriend. He scared them off and being the young and clueless girl that I was, I though he was a _hero._ Not that I don't appreciate that I didn't get raped.. but I had thought it was romantic and mysterious that he was stalking me and that's how he knew where I was."

I shook my head and rolled my eyes at myself and my immature way of thinking back then. I changed subjects however when I saw Steve flinch at the casual way I said 'rape'. I knew it wasn't something that was talked about openly in the 40's but he will have to get use to how casually people talk about private things now.

"Alright, so alley, night time, lets say about.. 8 men? Half armed with knifes and other half great at hand to hand combat?"

He looked back at me again in confusion.

"What?"

"The scene we are making. Let's see, have them try to hide first and then all come out together but only have one fight at a time.. yeah, for now it'll work and be quick. I don't want to mess up my clothes and I don't want to change into one of my suits since we still have this tour to finish."

I pressed the set up button and Steve looked on in confused fascination and all the red sensors blinked to life and inch by inch the walls and floor spouted color until he was seeing a typical alley with garbage cans and crates scattered around randomly. The ceiling flashed until it was a dark blue with random shining dots as stars. A stunning night really. I got up and switched on the auto lever before going to the stairs that led down to the room. He didn't ask anything but he watched closely from the window as I walked in the middle of the scene. I kicked a crate out of the way to show him how the sensors created props with actual solidity. I looked around for a moment but felt a shift in the air behind me. I turned fast but there was nothing there. Suddenly men started coming out from shadows and around the corner and I heard a throat clear being me before feeling a knife pierce my back. _Shit! That fucking hurt!_ I wanted him to see that is was all real and that there was a reason it is called the danger room. I turned and snapped the guys neck and the sensor made him fall in a glitching heap on the floor. I looked around wondering who was coming next but smelled spearmint body wash next to me and knew that wasn't replicated by the system.

"Hello Steve. Tired of watching my demonstration already? I just got started."

"Did you really expect me to stay up there after watching you get stabbed?"

"I did that on purpose, It didn't really pierce my skin or even rip my shirt, when a weapon makes contact with you, the sensors give you a shock that simulates the pain of whatever weapon you got hit with. It's only temporary pain."

He nodded but still looked around at the men.

"Why are they frozen?"

"The sensors felt you leave the room and a new player enter the set. It's waiting for my go ahead."

"Well? Let's finish them so we can finish that tour."

He gave me a boyish smile and I knew he was as excited as I was about testing out our skills here.

"Jarvis, resume the simulation and make some applicable changes to the setting."

The air began again and the men unfroze as they circled around. We nodded to each other and got back to back while taking on whoever came at us. In less than 3 minutes we were done and not a single hair out of place other than Steve getting hit by a knife right in the cheek. He was still rubbing at the sting but agreed that the pain felt real for only 3 seconds.

"This technology is the greatest thing I have seen yet. It can't get better than this can it?"

"It definitely can but not by much yet. There are only 2 rooms like this so the public is not actually aware of this advancement."

"This is better than any gym though. I would appreciate being able to use this room again."

"Yeah of course. We just have very strict rules in here. Other than Tony, Logan, and myself, no one is allowed in here without supervision. That's what the monitor room is there for. I know you probably don't want me hovering over you all the time so I would be glad to show you how to use it but the rules apply to you too until I see you make some scenes on your own and see you use the emergency break at least twice."

"Of course. Yeah I understand people could actually get hurt here."

I nodded and he seemed to have a slight skip to his step and we exit the danger room.

"By the way, those doors to the corner there are guest bedrooms. The 1st door there is Logan's room. He is the only one with a room down here so far but Nat uses that one there sometimes when she stays over."

He nodded and followed me up to second floor but I noticed his gaze linger on Logan's door.

"Here you already saw most of it. The second floor is our main floor. The elevator comes straight here usually and just passes the first floor unless, like I said, we have company. This floor has the biggest kitchen and the dinning hall, each floor has a small snack kitchen but this is the one where we make actual meals. Other than a bunch of guest rooms and the living room, the only things you have not seen is the bowling alley and the library."

I led him to the bowling alley first and he did a double take on everything.

"Even with the modern touches, it still looks like the bowling alleys I remember. I didn't bowl until prohibition was established though."

"Why's that?"

"Well just like you have a bar here, that's how they were back then too. Bowling alleys were full of drunk men, so family's or kid's were not welcomed really but without alcohol filling the bowling alley, it became a more family oriented game and it also brought forth more women bowlers."

"That's- wow. You are like my own Wiki."

"What?"

"Oh it's a.. website.. never mind, I'll show you later."

He nodded and looked around with a smile on his face until he froze and looked at the sign on top.

"Avenger Lanes? How long have you guys been together as the Avengers?"

"It was an idea that Fury had a long time ago. It was never needed but he did recruit Clint, Nat, Tony, and I. Tony was not overly fond of the idea, especially since he had to get along and play well with others but he built this alley and putting the sign up was like an acceptance, his way of telling me he would try."

"You two are very close."

"Yeah, I can't even explain why. I just find his antics funny. Others might get offended or annoyed but I understand and see a deeper level behind the things he does. He isn't one to show emotions and he will go out of his way to make people see him as a selfish asshole just as long as they don't see his weaknesses so they won't be able to hurt him with them. Don't tell him I said that of course, but I just see passed all of the walls he put around himself. He's loyal to the ones he values, he would do anything to protect them but he won't let anyone see that side of him."

He stayed quiet and looked to be deep in thought. I knew I said too much but I wanted them to get along and knew their personality's were not very compatible so they would both need to try until they grew some type of fondness for each other. I led him to the library door and opened it with a dramatic flourish, making him smile.

"And this! One of my favorite rooms. The Library. You're in luck too because Reed had this place organized by publishing year and I never changed the format when I added my own books to the collection."

"Reed?"

"The previous owner, he designed and built everything in here. We have only added some small things here and there. Like the danger room and bowling alley.'

He nodded but moved straight towards the shelves that were under **40's** he read through some titles but paused in front of one that he was reaching to before looking to me for permission to take it out.

"Steve I am serious when I say this is you home now. You don't have to ask permission to be in here or to take a book. You know Tony started building the bowling alley without even asking me."

He laughed lightly but nodded in appreciation and took the book out.

"My friend gave me this book when it came out in 1937. I remember reading it half way but I never finished it.."

"Maybe you could now. Which one is it?"

He moved it away from his front and turned so I could see the cover.

"Ooh _The Hobbit_ is still very popular till this day but I have never read it and I still haven't seen the movies."

"They made a movie?"

He looked both shocked and excited about it.

"Yeah, I think there's like 3 movies. They just came out in 2011 or 2012, I can't remember but like I said, I haven't seen them. I know we have all of them though because Kitty and Tony watch them."

He put the book back with a smile and told me he would have to finish it later before he watched the movie. We moved up to the 3rd floor and knew this one would be quick since there was nothing too interesting up here.

"This is my floor, I call it mine because no one else has a room up here. That door is to an office that Tony and Pepper use for business when they are here, this one is mine. There are only 3 bedrooms on this floor and so they are bigger but everyone chooses rooms on the second or first floor so they can be closer to the games and kitchen."

"So this is like a deserted floor."

"Pretty much. Everyone stays on the first and second floor, they don't really care for what is up here so it's very quiet but I enjoy it because of my advance hearing, there's no way I could sleep in the second floor, it's too loud. Logan has advanced hearing too so that's one of the reasons he chose the first floor."

"I did notice that last night. Doors are always shutting or locking and bathrooms flushing."

"Did it bug you? You could easily chose another room."

"It's okay, really."

"Steve you don't have any clothes or personal things in that room. It's so easy to just come to a room up here tonight."

He thinks it over for a second but smiles softly.

"Thank you. I really appreciate how out of your way you are going to make me feel at home and helping me out Bella."

"It's no problem Steve, everyone needs help once in a while. Come on, tours almost over, we have 2 floors left but I doubt you will want to stay in them very long."

He gave me a questioning look but I ignored it and went to show him the computer lab, the conference room, pointed him to the hall of storage rooms and closets, and finally, showed him the server room connected to the photo analysis lab.

"I have no idea what that is."

"Yeah, I gotta admit, we never really use this lab too much if ever but if this confuses you, wait till you see the next floor."

"What is on the next floor?"

"Nothing but labs."

We climbed up the stairs and as soon as everything came into view and the sensors turned all the lights on, he stopped breathing. He froze for a moment but slowly walked down the glass hall towards the L shaped couch in the middle of it all.

"There's a living room in the middle of this all?"

"Yeah and some cabinets in that corner with some snacks. It's if we need a break or if family wants to be with us without getting in our way, that was one reason we put a TV in front of the couch too. That is the robotics lab, Tony's favorite of course, biology, detoxification center, electronics, chemistry, even medical- an- what?"

I stopped talking midway when I realize he is just staring at me. He shakes his head and looks down at me with amusement.

"If you know what each of these machines and rooms do then your intelligence is definitely put to better use than mine is. You are very bright Bella, it's great to see that women have much more freedom to grow and learn in fields of study than they did in my day."

I smiled tightly at him but had to look down when I felt my cheeks smoking.

Steve looked down at her and noticed her cheeks flush for a moment before they started to smoke. He felt his smile get bigger at how endearing her fire was, it came out very subtly. He didn't think on what he was doing but he found himself lifting his hand and lightly touching her smoking cheek with the back of his fingers. Her skin was hot and the part of her cheeks that was smoking almost burned his finger but when she felt his touch she gasped and stepped back.

"I can burn you Steve."

"No, it's okay. You didn't burn me, It's actually soothing."

She snorted and looked down almost upset.

"It's soothing to be burned?"

"Yes. Bella, I think you forget that I wasn't just asleep all those years, I was frozen. I feel cold constantly. You are very warm all the time so yes, it's soothing."

She looked up at me and smiled with glassy eyes.

"Well, in that case, you are welcome to cuddle anytime!"

She laughed it off and turned away from me but I had to work on keeping from groaning at the visual in my head of me holding her. _What is wrong with you?_ I have never been a man to get random erections just because I saw a pretty girl. I didn't even act this way around Peggy! _Did I? _No, I don't remember ever being inappropriate with her like I am with Bella. Thinking of Peggy made my chest hurt. I wondered if I could ask Bella to help me look into what became of her, I've been wanting to know for sometime but as the same time, I am afraid of what I'll find.

"Steve?"

"Hm? Oh, sorry. I'm coming."

Bella turns and keeps walking towards the last floor, her cheeks still smoking from the embarrassment she felt. She couldn't believe she actually told Steve he could _cuddle _with her anytime, he didn't laugh or even smile so I don't know how he took it. I shook it off and led him up the stairs and straight into the big hangar that actually had the space to hold 2 Quinjets or 3.

"Wow, what is the use of this?"

"Well it's a hangar so I guess it would be handy if I had a helicopter or a Quinjet but since I don't.. there's no use to it other than when I fly out to the store or somewhere. I usually use this roof access more than I do the elevator. This is the only thing up here other than the amazing observatory."

"Observatory? Here?"

"Yeah, Through these doors. It's my favorite place in the whole apartment, I come here when I need to think or if I just can't sleep and want to stargaze."

I showed him the basic switches to open the dome without the telescope interfering.

"This is automatic so if it is raining, you don't have to worry about water coming in, it will open but keep the glass layer closed so you can still see out."

He nodded but when I pulled the switch and the dome started moving he looked up for a moment and moved to lay down in the middle of the floor. I gasped as he put his hands behind his head, causing his biceps to flex. _That's it! I'm in love._ I must have stared too long because he sat up and looked at me confused.

"Bella? Is everything alright?"

"Y- yes, it's just.. everyone always sits on the chairs and they laugh at me for laying down on the floor like a kid… It's just nice to see someone else do the same."

Steve tilted his head in confusion at that.

"Well that doesn't make sense. If I sat on a chair then I would have to crane my neck to look up."

She smiles and bounced up to balance on her toes for a second before giggling beautifully and laying down next to me and exclaiming.

"Exactly! That's what I've been saying for the longest time!"

She rolls onto her side and uses her elbow to raise her body enough to rest her head on her hand. Her curves are put on display just 3 feet away from me and I can feel her body heat from here. _Stunning._

I could honestly say I was in awe of the apartment but mostly of her for this place to be all hers. It made me wonder how she achieved all this.

"Bella? I hope this question is not too personal or offensive in anyway-"

"It's okay Steve, ask away."

He took a deep breath and I noticed he looked hesitant about asking or maybe over how to say it.

"How did you get here? Natasha told me last night that you adopted Kitty. I was just wondering how you achieved all this?"

I sighed and looked to him seriously before trying to come up with the shortest explanation since it was already 9:07 am.

"I assume you saw my file correct?"

He nods and tells me what he knows of the cosmic cloud and of the trial.

"The trial was really long and extensive, I didn't know what I would do with my life after it though. I had lost my father and going back to Washington just wasn't an option. It no longer felt like home, not really. I didn't want to go to university as planned, it suddenly wasn't a priority and I didn't have control of my flames yet so I didn't trust myself at all. The end of the trial finally came and all the victims ended up getting a great lump of money but while the bank managers and lawyers decided how to split the money, my lawyers asked me if I wanted to request anything, I was going to say no but suddenly I remembered that the suit I wore to the space station had been exposed and it was the only clothes I owned that conformed to me and didn't burn. I asked for that solution and how to make it, it was given to me even though it was supposed to be protected by the company rights. The next thing I asked for was Reed Richards lab. I knew he had one in his apartment and I wanted it, I knew my DNA was different, I knew I was no longer just human but I didn't think I was a mutant either even though everyone was calling me that. I couldn't trust anyone to study me or try doing experiments on me so I needed to do them on myself and I would need a lab for that. They agreed to giving me the apartment and it solved the problem of where to live after the trial as well as the lab. The trial was over but things were still confusing for me because I had an apartment in New York but I still had nothing to do. One day there was a knock on my door, it was Phil and Fury, they tracked me down and told me about the Avenger initiative and how they would train me to be an Agent. Suddenly I had a purpose. I could use this new gift or mutation to help people. I agreed and a few days later I finally came here with an insurance guy to see the place."

I had to laugh thinking back on that day.

"I told him he had the wrong place when he told me it was a penthouse. He even double checked his papers to make sure he was right. No one, and I mean _no one_ ever told me that his lab was in a penthouse. I thought it would be a small 2 bedroom place with one room converted into a lab but oh surprise surprise.. This place was huge and I was just one person alone with no family or friends in a new city I knew nothing about. I started training at HQ a few days after I moved in here and after a few weeks, I became good friends with Clint and Nat. A few months after that I had to go on a mission with Clint, we finished early and we split up since his family home was nearby. I got a rental car and on my way driving back here, I had stopped for food when I heard 3 kids arguing about being jumped by some guys and not having any train tickets to get home, no way to call their school to come pick them up, and no money to eat. They looked about ready to cry but I heard them make a comment about being mutants and having their things taken by humans. I knew we were not in a state that was very.. tolerant to us so I had to help them get home or at least buy them food. They recognized me from the trials on TV and felt better to be with another mutant. Long story short, I bonded with Kitty on the way home but I then dropped them off at the academy, which is a school for mutants, she asked me to go back and visit her and I promised I would. Then the disaster at the Stark Expo happened, Tony and I bonded as well and after the fight was over, he and Pepper stayed here for a while in the aftermath and clean up. After that I finally went to the Academy to visit Kitty, I met Logan properly and talked to him but when I touched him, he snapped, my shield had covered him somehow and he remembered some things that made his claws come out, they went t-"

"Claws?'

"Yes, he is a mutant as well and teaches at the academy. Anyway, he lost control and punctured me with them, I was dying in his arms when I passed out. I woke up and it turns out he had transferred some of his blood to me and that is how I have enhanced hearing and healing, as well as strength and a whole bunch of side effects that made me have more of a temper and bad control over my flames. After a few visits, I decided to mentor Kitty and be her guardian but in the end I adopted her and after a few months I saw the file Shield had on Bruce, I figured he could teach me a thing or 2 about control so I went looking for him and ended up being great friends with him, I went back at the same time every year. Slowly, accident by accident I have made the big family I always wanted and made this a home. That is how I achieved all this. Accidents."

He laughed lowly but looked around.

"That's amazing. Thank you for telling me all that. I know you didn't have to trust me but I'm glad you did. And it makes sense now, the bond you have with Logan. I couldn't figure it out."

"Yeah, we are all family but us being so similar because of our blood, it's strange, we really are family by blood. He is still a grouch most times though."

He laughed softly and I laugh harder knowing he might be straining to hear since he is so nosy but we are too far up.

"I should have known you would be here!"

We jumped and saw Tony leaning on the far wall. _What the __hell__? How did I not hear him?!_

"Were you looking for me?"

"Uh yeah!"

He pouted and gave me puppy dog eyes.

"It's been 8 months since I've had your food Bells, I lost weight! Can't you tell?"

He put his hands up and turned in a circle. I had to laugh and get up before offering Steve my hand.

"Shut up you baby! I'm coming."

"Yay!"

He looked at Steve and then back at me smirking.

"Sorry for interrupting your moment by the way, I'm just hungry..."

"Mmhm, sure. What do you want?"

"I want your hollandaise sauce.. oh or your German crepes."

"How about.. crepes filled with eggs and ham, topped with hollandaise sauce?"

He stopped walking and looked back at me before looking at Steve and smirking.

"You see? You see how easy she makes it?"

He went towards the elevator muttering 'Amazing' under his breath, followed by a laughing Steve. Once in the kitchen, Steve sat in the breakfast bar, near the stove and Tony came around to the screen that he had installed into the counter for music.

"Come on Bells, where is the music? We always cook to music. How about some Marvin Gaye?"

"Who is Marvin Gaye?"

"Oh my friend, the music that is waiting for you! He was a singer mostly popular in the 60's and 70's."

"Um, _I _always cook to music, you do no cooking unless it's for an experiment which doesn't count since it's not edible."

"Yeah yeah. Be quiet, we are about to educate Capsicle!"

I looked over to Steve and saw him smirk so I knew he was at least not offended at the nickname.

"Alright let's start with something slow."

3 seconds later the first voices started talking in the beginning of the song 'What's going on' but they got quieter and finally the actual lyrics started. I almost started laughing at how closely Steve payed attention to the lyrics. He leaned in and tilted his head a little but slowly a little smile played on his lips at particular lines.

_We don't need to escalate _

_You see, war is not the answer _

_For only love can conquer hate_

_You know we've got to find a way_

_To bring some lovin' here today_

At the end of the song Tony paused it so the next one wouldn't play and we both stared at him expectantly.

"Well? What did you think?"

"It's a good tune. It's a different rhythm I hadn't heard before."

"But did you like it?"

"It was okay."

We nodded, pleased with the answer since we weren't too big on it either but it was an okay song.

"Yeah for me his best one has to be the classic 'Ain't no mountain high enough'"

"That's a good one, we'll play that one next."

I laughed as he started looking for it while I finished up the crepe batter.

"Do you need help Bella?"

"Oh no buddy, rule number one, no one helps Bella in the kitchen. Only Pepper or aunt May can help her on special occasions. You get in her way in the kitchen and she will get grumpy, you do it a second time or you take too long to do a task? You get a part of your body lightly burned. Logan heals so he actually does get fully burned."

Steve widened his eyes while I blushed but he nodded in understanding. I couldn't even accuse Tony of lying because it was true. I relaxed as the bells started chiming in the beginning of the song, Steve even seemed to enjoy it immediately. _Why wouldn't he? This song is awesome and classic. From the music to the lyrics._ I started swaying my hips and Tony started singing. I joined for some lines but I mostly concentrated on cooking.

_Remember the day I set you free_

_I told you could always count on _

_me, darling_

_And from that day on I made a vow_

_I'll be there when you want me some _

_way, some how_

I got more into the dancing but my favorite part came on just as the elevator pinged. I knew it had to be Kitty since she was the only one on another floor and Logan used the stairs. I started singing as she came into view and pointed the spatula at her playfully as I sang louder.

_If you ever in trouble, I'll be there on _

_the double_

_Just send for me, oh baby_

_Ha!_

_My love is alive _

_Way down in my heart_

_Although we are miles apart _

_If you ever need a helping hand_

_I'll be there on the double just as fast_

_as I can_

I don't know if it was just seeing me cooking breakfast as casually as I did all those months ago or if it was the lyrics but she stood frozen in the doorway until her eyes filled with tears. She blinked and ran to me as soon as her tears spilled over. I opened my arms right on time for her and did my best to rock her to soothe her strong emotion. It did get to me, the emotion over such a simple thing that happened everyday here but now seemed different after so long.

"It's okay baby girl, I'm here now okay? That will never happen again. It's actually something I can promise."

My promise seemed to have calmed her dramatically and she was able to pull back and smile back at me while she wiped her tears.

"Come on, sit down and introduce yourself formally to Steve, you ignored a lot of people yesterday young lady."

She smiled shyly Steve's way and walked right through the kitchen counter to get next to him while she extended her hand. I saw Tony cover his mouth and his shoulders shake as he laughed. I glared his way but the look on Steve's face did make me laugh lightly. I know she did it on purpose to throw him off and it certainly worked.

"Hi, I'm Kitty."

He nodded her way but lightly put his hand in hers, like he thought it would go through her but he relaxed when his hand was able to shake her now solid one.

"Kitty, nice to meet you. I'm Steve."

She smiled at him easily and I relaxed. Why I cared if they got along? I don't know. Yes I did but I could ignore that part of me for now.

"So mom, where is Bruce? I'm looking forward to meeting him after so many years."

"Oh you probably won't meet him today honey, he gets really tired for a day or two after the big guy takes over, he is going to need a lot of sleep."

"But why? I thought you guys practiced his control all the time when you visited?"

"There's a difference to him _choosing_ to transform, and him losing control and having Hulk take over without his permission. When he loses control like that, it takes a lot out of him."

She nodded slowly, still thinking about it but eventually as I kept cooking, person by person woke up and joined us. Piotr came over with his pajamas and came straight to me to give me a kiss on the cheek.

"Good morning Piotr. How did you sleep?"

"Better than I have in a long time."

He smiled and went over to introduce himself to Steve before sitting next to Kitty and putting an arm around her. _What? It's just a support hand.. right?_ I looked to Tony and found him studying them as well. Well if anything was going on there, which I doubt… I guess Tony would already know.

Pepper came in next showered and dressed already and she automatically started juicing oranges and chatting with Steve and Tony. Nat and Logan came in at the same time, which caused me and Pepper to smirk at each other.

"Kitty, Piotr, can you guys go set the table please?"

They nodded quickly and left the room. I turned to Nat and tried starting up conversation.

"So if no one was coming here while I was gone, where would you guys meet up? Or actually most importantly who cooked for the whole group?"

I laughed, thinking of the amount of take out they needed to feed all of them but quieted down when I looked around and realized everyone was remaining quiet.

"Natasha? What do you know?"

She was looking at everyone oddly but looked at me almost guilty for a second.

"I haven't seen any of them since New Mexico."

"What? What do you mean you haven't seen them?! Why not?"

She shrugged and looked down.

"We were all in New Mexico when you disappeared, looking at every angle just trying to figure out how it happened but you vanished into air. Eventually Fury needed me on other missions and.. no one came here on weekends for dinner because you weren't here. There was just never a time for me to see them."

I was confused as it was but that didn't answer much. I turned back to Pep, Tony, and Logan.

"One of you has to explain what the fuck happened because if you all just drifted apart like we are not a family, I am going to get pissed off."

Pepper sighed and looked at the 2 men before she started talking.

"We had some bumps along the way. Hours after you disappeared, Jane and Darcy were waiting to see if you would come back, they didn't know what would happen but eventually they had to start making calls. They called Tony first, and I was there when they did."

She looked to Tony and I saw her eyes begin to get glassy.

"He didn't take it well, I didn't either but.. I mean, we flew to New Mexico right then and there and we knew someone had to tell Kitty in person but we didn't know what to say! Jane said that Thor told her he would come back for her! We didn't know if it was an accident and you were standing too close or if they had taken you on purpose. He said he would come back and all we could do was wait for you to come with him…. We called Logan and told him what happened but we told him not to tell Kitty yet. We didn't want to tell her you were gone because there was still a chance you would come back and we would have put her through that pain for nothing."

Her eyes were full of tears as she spoke but towards the end it sounded and looked like she was pleading for me to understand. I got a heavy feeling in my chest as I braced myself for the worst.

"What did you tell her?"

Logan spoke this time.

"We came up with, we- I told her that Fury had sent you on a mission and that you couldn't use your phone."

I put my elbows on the counter and cradled my head in my hands, knowing Kitty would not take that well once the truth came out. Pepper started speaking again but I was only half listening.

"After a few more days went by, we had nothing and, we had to tell her. She didn't take it well that we lied to her and… Logan told her in person but Tony and I called constantly but she never answered her phone and with me having to go back to work and Tony was obsessed with finding you.."

"You stopped calling?"

Their silence was enough but Tony's words only served to get me from upset to angry.

"I tried calling her every week Bella, she never answered. We called Logan every week too just to get updated but she wasn't speaking to him either, only if it was needed at the school… I tried to fill in for you with Peter but she wouldn't even take his visits when he went to the school, not after he told her that I had taken over his mentoring and given him an internship.. She blocked us all out. We hashed it out after a few months, it's fine now-"

"Months?!" I scoffed and turned to him as I glared.

"So that's it? She didn't answer a call so you washed your hands of her?! Why didn't you go yourself? Charles would have let you into school grounds for her, you could have tried harder Tony! How could you of all people give up on her? You are her self proclaimed 'godfather'! How am I suppose to let that be when I could die in any battle that I go into? I thought this whole time that if the day came and I were gone, she would still have you! She would still have this family! How did you all let it go to shit just because-"

I saw his hands ball up and his eyes narrow before he finally exploded.

"YOU WERE GONE! You were gone and I didn't know if you were coming back! Every freaking myth that even had the name Thor in it is engraved into my mind from all the damn research we did, all the reading, all the money spent on building stuff, all the calls, nothing got us even a theory of what could have happened! I didn't, I couldn't give up on you but everyone around me _was_! I couldn't- I"

He couldn't finish talking when his throat was closed up and tears streamed down his face. He put his head in his hands and I saw Pepper start crying. I started crying from the strong emotion he was showing but also just thinking about what both he and Kitty had gone through.. I felt like shit for telling him he could have done better but for Tony, taking my place with Peter was the best he could do while trying to hide how affected he was. I went up to him and embraced him while he held on tight to me as well.

"I know I messed up. I knew I should have been trying harder but I just-"

"I'm sorry Tony, I know you did what you could. I'm so sorry you had to go through that with everyone. We are a family though, we can't fall apart or turn our backs to each other like this. Why did it take so long to fix things over?"

I heard crying from the dinning room but soon after Piotr was guiding Kitty into the kitchen. She looked to Tony and cried harder.

"I'm sorry for shutting you out. I knew I shouldn't have, and I knew mom wouldn't be happy with me about it but I just got mad and I didn't want to think about the possibility that I would never see her again and I held onto that anger because if I let go of it.. I couldn't. I'm so sorry uncle Tony, I was such a bitch to you and I was worse to Logan and to everyone that even looked at me wrong… I'm so sorry It took so long to snap out of my own head."

Logan was closer to her and wrapped his arm around her.

"Kid, we aren't mad at ya, Xavier told me exactly what was going through your head, I understand it was your way of protecting yourself, you hurt a lot of people for it, but I explained your reasons to the rest of the family and that is one of the reasons they stopped calling for a while. I know that hurt your feelings too, you felt like we gave up on you but we didn't kid. We all love you and your mother, these passed 8 months don't mean nothing. We will get through it and all will be like it was before. One big happy fuckin' family."

Kitty let out a small giggle through her crying but I had to hold back my laugh.

"Logan! Don't you speak like that in front of my daughter."

"Bella darlin' I am with her at school when you're not around, she talks worse than I do. Little sailor mouth."

I look to her incredulously and know he couldn't be lying because she blushes bright red and tucks her head while pushing at Logan. I wasn't really upset, I swelled with emotion at seeing both of them. I would still have to talk to her privately but this was a step forward in getting back to what we were before… I heard a beeping noise one second before hearing the cabinet above me open and out come a fire extinguisher tube. Maybe my swell of emotion had made my body heat go up but before the thing could be sprayed on me, I ducked and rolled right on time.

"NO! Oh god Bella what did you do?!"

I looked up confused at Tony's reaction and saw that the foam from the tube had landed in the Sauce and he was currently trying to scoop it out. I looked at him for a moment in silence but burst out laughing the next and when he looked up to glare at me, the rest of the kitchen joined in on the laughing, much to his displeasure.

"Tony I can start another one, it only takes like 10 minutes."

He sighed but nodded while taking the pot to the sink and rinsing it out. I smirked and looked around at my crazy, but happy… fuckin' family.

"Alright, we need to get breakfast in our stomachs so we can get going. Who is coming with Steve and I?"

Steve and I both smiled proudly when every single one raised their hands. Now I just hoped Bruce would not wake up while we were gone…


	31. Chapter 31

**They call her Human Torch! Chapter 31**

Morning

Eventually I finally finished cooking. We were able to sit down and eat without too many awkward pauses but it made me feel really good when Tony, Logan, and now Steve, finished off 3 servings, though Steve's servings were practically double what Tony's servings were. There wasn't much to talk about since we had our mouths stuffed but as soon as we finished, everyone rushed around to clean up the kitchen (the one thing I did let them help with) and afterwords they hurried to get ready. I left a note stuck on the hallway so if Bruce woke up, the note would be the first thing he saw when he opened the door. I had a bag with me in the cab and made sure it had one of my suits in it. My clothes right now were treated with the solution but if we would be helping to lift things and clean up then my clothes could get ripped and I would have to change. We had called 2 cabs to take all of us over and as soon as we got near the finance district, we could both see and hear the crowds of people. There were news vans of course only filming but not doing anything, and on the opposite side there was lines of people waiting to check in and start helping with the clean up. We looked to the side and saw vans and cars with Shields logo on it so instead of checking in, we went straight through. I was glad when no one stopped us but wondered why they kept staring like us being here was the biggest shock.

"Glad to see you here Agent."

We turned and saw Phil coming out of a car. I smiled and went to hug him, glad to see he was okay and no longer under Loki's spell.

"Phil, what are you doing here? You should be home resting."

"Not quite yet. I've only been conscious 2 hours and there is too much to do before I can sleep peacefully."

"How did they get you to come back?"

He grimaces and rubs the back of his head.

"Oh."

"Yeah, not so fun. Fury will want to talk to you all. Specifically you Bella, there have been some concerns..."

I Knew by the look on his face that there was more going on and he wasn't at liberty to say in front of everyone.

"Phil? Take me to Fury. I'll get it over with now."

He nodded and led us a couple blocks in where we were out of sight from the crowds. There were Agents everywhere, gathering vans full of Chitauri pieces.

"Going ahead with usual protocol?"

"Yes, we don't want this tech to fall in the hands of others, especially if we ourselves don't know how it works."

That was one thing I actually agreed on but still that didn't mean I wanted SHIELD to keep them. We saw Fury and Agent Hill standing to the side barking out orders. They too look surprised to see us.

"We thought you would be resting."

"There's too much work to do."

"We have teams set out to start the clean up, you don't have to worry about that."

"No Fury, we are here to do actual 'clean up' I know you guys are taking all the Chitauri parts you can find and all evidence of battle with you but there are people's livelihoods that were destroyed, a homeless shelter that is needed urgently, many buildings threatening to fall over from floors that were destroyed, leaving them uneven. Whatever we need to talk over we can do it now so we can all get to work on this."

He nodded after a minute of looking me over. Tony made to follow us but I put a hand of his shoulder and shook my head. The two of us walked until we ducked into a lobby of a destroyed building.

"I'm not going to beat around the bush. Why are you so bothered to see us here and why does Phil look so worried?"

"I don't see you as a threat Bella."

"Who does?"

"The World Security Council. They never gave me permission to make you an Agent. In fact, they were against the Avenger Initiative. I kept going on with my plans without their knowledge but when you disappeared in New Mexico, they visited our office and learned you had been with SHIELD for a long time and that you were put in our files as an Avenger, so they learned that I kept going with the initiative after they shut it down and they felt threatened that you knew all of our protocols. You were placed on the threat list along with everyone who lives with you."

"Excuse me?"

"When news of your return was broadcast, they-"

"No, no, I want to know why my family, my _daughter, _was placed on a threat list. Nick you have spent holiday's with us. You have seen a side of us that no one has and the same goes for us with you. We don't just consider you Director of SHIELD! How could you put Kitty and Piotr's name on that list? They are just students!"

"I'm not the only one who has access to that list. It was done before I was notified. I do not consider you a threat, I am not the enemy here. I made a mistake with the Tesseract, I can admit that. When you came back however, you came back from another planet, one full of aliens. You suddenly knew all about their history and had joined alliances with their army. They wanted you locked up and experimented on but I couldn't do that to you. I didn't want to. I thought I could calm them down if I convinced you to give a sample of your blood to prove to them that you were still you and not under someone else's control. They were ready to pull SHIELD funding and bring in another government branch to come get you."

I felt my eyes begin to water as I looked away from him.

"I'm still me."

"I know that now and when I first saw you I had to believe it but they didn't. Not until footage of you fighting the Chitauri aired on the news. They backed off but then you went and sent the Tesseract with the enemy."

"Thor is not the enemy! His people fought for us once, they could easily take us over but they don't!"

"They know we are friendly with Thor but he took a very powerful weapon that could destroy our planet, they are obviously not okay with that."

"Look what happened last time a clueless human had his hands on it! It will be locked away with guards protecting it 24/7. It was the right call, it came from space, it should stay there."

"I agree. I will say it again, I am not the enemy here Bella."

I sighed and paced for a moment before running my hand through my hair.

"So what is it going to take? What do I need to do to take their names off the list?"

"I don't know."

"You do. There is always a but, a maybe, a price. Is Steve's name on the list too now that he is living with us? Because if it is then that is not fair."

"It's not. I didn't know he was living there, I'm glad you will help him through this transition. Look Bella, I will speak to the council but, I don't know what kind of thing they could ask of you."

"I'm not willing to give them DNA, I can maybe test myself and give them a general overview of my health? Something that shows what it could do? I don't know Fury, talk to them, get back to me but I want my daughter's name off."

Just then Logan came running into the building with a glare and his claws out.

"I will not let you give them your blood Bella, not in a vial and not on paper!"

The rest of the family came running after him and looked around frantically, probably not knowing why Logan took off so suddenly. I sighed and mentally kicked myself for not remembering that Logan's nosy ass would be listening.

"What is going on?"

"Nothing is go-"

"She is trying to make a deal, her blood in exchange for our names off some threat list!"

"That's not going to happen. And how nice by the way! We save the city and our names are put on threat lists. Wow Fury, new low."

"Now hold on, it was not my decision."

"No of course not!"

"Tony, Logan stop! Just everyone stop!"

This started off as such a good day…

"Fury, we are good, I don't care what you did before, this is your clean slate as far as I am concerned. I want to know from now on everything that has to do with me and my family. I want you to talk to the council and let me know what they want. If they want nothing then I expect some type of heads up if someone is coming for me.-"

"What?!"

I ignored the exclaims made by the family and kept speaking.

"I want you to be honest with me from now on and you will have my cooperation, even if I am not happy with something, I will talk it out with you directly. Understood?"

He smirked and nodded.

"Yes ma'am."

"Two more things. I want Steve's things delivered to my place, and I do mean all things. If he had a shoe when he was 3 that is in a museum then I want it, if one of his shirts are on display somewhere, I want it. I don't care if they are not on sale, you have hundreds of Agents who know how to get in and out of places. I want his social security card, I want all his papers and certificates straightened out and taken care of. He can't exactly go out and get a job at a grocery store so he, as a senior citizen and veteran, deserves a stipend. I could have my lawyers deal with all this or..."

"I can have one of my hundreds of Agents do it?"

"Exactly."

He nodded at me and I did the same back before moving to leave the building. I noticed the family had all frozen in place and was watching me with shock.

"What?"

"Since when are you assertive?"

"Oh trust me, I can be a real bitch when I want to. Come on, It's midday and we haven't done squat."

Feeling better about the turn of events, I strode out and walked passed all the Agents, straight to the homeless shelter. _Damn right this bitch is back!_

Steve looked on with concern as Bella walked off with Director Fury, he didn't know if he trusted that man and it was clear that Stark didn't. One of the Agents, Hill? I think her name was, tried to make friendly conversation with Kitty but it was clear she wasn't interested. Stark stood with his arms crossed making it clear he was not moving and Logan moved passed me towards where Bella had walked off to. The Agent saw him and left Kitty's side quickly.

"Excuse me! You can't go back there."

Logan swung around to her and glared menacingly and he stomped over to be in her face.

"Say's you? If I want to go somewhere, ya have no right to tell me where I can an' can't go so think again."

I felt the color leave my face when I saw what Bella had meant when she said claws. He balled up his hands and metal claws came out of them. She moved back and glared at him but the fear was clear in her eyes as she backed off and stormed towards another car. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Natasha smirk. _Isn't that Agent someone she works with? Why would she be happy?_ She breathed out and looked down before putting a blank look on her face again. She looked back up and saw me staring so she raised her eyebrow and I just shook my head. Logan turned and walked a few steps closer to where Bella and Fury turned before finding a bench and sitting on it while tilting his head. I remembered what Bella said about advanced hearing so he must have gotten close enough to hear their conversation. We moved closer to him as a group but he put his hand up when we got to him.

"One of ya makes a sound and I'll kick ya off the street!"

Stark smirked and sat next to him but no one dared open their mouths. They all watched him carefully and saw his face grow angrier and angrier until he stood up to pace and his claws fully came out, they were really long. He paced for a full minute before he let out a growl and took off. We stood up surprised but then took off after him. Fury and Bella were leaning calmly in the first floor of a building while Logan looked between them in anger. Stark looked on in confusion but asked what was going on when no danger was apparent.

"She is trying to make a deal, her blood in exchange for our names off some threat list."

We all glared at Fury for putting her in that position and while Stark exchanged words with Fury, I stared at Bella, watching for what she could be thinking. She had an eerie calm about her that seemed almost dangerous but she still looked beautiful.

"Tony, Logan stop! Just everyone stop."

She sighed and spoke directly to Fury about him warning her if someone was coming for her. Coming for her? Was she in danger? I felt a strange heaviness in my chest at the thought. Logan and Stark exclaimed angrily while Pepper and Kitty shouted out in panic. Fury nodded and smirked at something she asked but everything seemed to grow quiet as she started demanding my things. A shoe? Why would my shoe be in a museum? I started to smile as she asked for all my documents and the things I had owned to be sent to her apartment. _Senior citizen? _I guess technically I am.. but I do not need to be paid by anyone, not if I am not doing anything. Still, I really appreciated that she was taking care of all this for me, I had wondered about my papers but didn't know what the first step even was to take care of it. She wasn't mad anymore but she still had a slight glare in her eye and sway to her hips as she turned to leave. I looked down and saw my erection begin to tent my pants. _What is wrong with me? I'm getting aroused because of her walk and the way she was talking?_

She stopped and looked back at us, only to notice that we were all staring at her silently. I was suddenly glad that I was standing behind everyone and that Bella could not see my problem.

"What?"

Stark looked at her and lifted an eyebrow.

"Since when are you assertive?"

"Oh trust me, I can be a real bitch when I want to. Come on, It's midday and we haven't done squat."

She marched out the door and I had to smile after her, she is a strong woman and I was glad she was taking the lead on catching me up on everything I have missed. Stark turned to me and laughed.

"Well I see _all _of you is crushing on her. Can't blame you after that little show though."

His tone of voice must have drawn attention from everyone because as a whole they all turned and looked straight down. I stepped back and felt my face heat up under their stares.

"Oh my god you like my mom?!"

"Kitty! Leave him alone. Though, thinking on it, you two wouldn't be a bad match... and it does seem she likes older men so you are in luck!"

"Pepper, you are going to scare him away."

"Alright alright, back off an' leave the kid alone."

"Kid? Just how old are you Logan?"

"Way older than World War 2 buddy."

"Wait, if you marry my mom, you would be like my step dad..."

Everyone froze and turned to look at me but I just smiled softly at her and felt a warmth spread through my chest at the thought of being a dad. It was a nice idea. Still, their stares were getting me nervous.

"Um, we aren't, we just met and, we don't really know each other so.. I mean I'm not saying I don't like your mother but-"

Logan patted my back firmly and turned to Kitty.

"Leave him alone, he doesn't even know which way is up yet so back off and don't none of ya bring this up in front of Bella, leave their personal, private lives and let 'em figure it out on their own."

He nodded at me and I nodded thankfully back while he rounded them up and led them out to where Bella had walked off to. I followed slowly after them but Fury's voice stopped me. I had forgotten he was still there.

"You know now they will push you both together as much as they can right? That was them taking you into their family."

I nodded at him before walking out but felt a smile take over my face at his words. I had sat back and watched them interact as a family this morning and having the chance to be a part of that would be the best that I could ask for from this nightmare that I woke up to. I smiled all the way to the shelter that had gotten destroyed and laughed when I saw Bella lining everyone up and giving each of them orders.

"Steve, you can work with Piotr to help everyone lift heavy things."

I nodded and turned to the kid in time to see him take off his shirt and close his eyes, he took a deep breath and seemed to relax as he turned to metal right in front of me.

"_What?"_

Bella giggled softly as she heard my whisper. She leaned close to me and spoke so only I could hear.

"He goes to school with Kitty, mutant school remember?"

I nodded but kept silent. It was one thing to know someone was a mutant and another to see a transformation happen right before your eyes. She smiled at me kindly once more before turning to go with Stark and getting to work on redesigning a layout for this place. After doing a walk through they found it had back rooms for an unused soup kitchen and plenty of rooms for at least 100 bunk beds but only 25 of them were being used.

"You think they were understaffed or maybe lacked funds?"

"Probably both. We can keep cleaning up while I get my people to reach out to whoever owns this space."

"If it's a funding problem then I can help cover the cost of the remodel."

"Yeah and I can supply the funds for the kitchen and new beds. We can spread word for more volunteers or staff, however this place works."

"Well let's talk to the owner first and see what this place brings to them, if he is not using it properly then we could maybe-"

"Buy it out from under him? Yeah that's what I was thinking."

"Let's not assume anything yet."

"No, not yet."

They continued to throw ideas back and forth and finish each others sentences until they got word that the owner of the space rented it out and didn't care what went on as long as he got his rent money. They contacted the person who rented the place out and were able to schedule a meeting with her in 1 hour. We worked easily to clear stuff out and when the garbage pile got too big, Bella would just take it outside and burn it until there was nothing but a tiny pile of ash left. 2 hours passed and the place was looking better. It was still too badly destroyed but the furniture made trash was out of the way and only some walls were left of the place. Good thing was that the kitchen was all the way in the back and was still intact.

"Hello?"

I turned towards the entrance and saw an older black woman standing timidly by the hole that was once the doors.

"Can I help you ma'am?"

"Well, I think so, my name is Maya Green. I rent this spot out and had an appointment here an hour ago?"

"Right, yes ma'am, we didn't think you would show up."

"I'm terribly sorry. Traffic was no good and police is not letting anyone but owners of buildings pass the line. I had to register as a volunteer and show proof that I pay rent here."

I started to speak but stopped when I saw Bella walking in from the back with Tony.

"Mrs. Green?"

"That is me Ms."

"Hi, my name is Bella, this is Tony and you have already met Steve. It's a pleasure to meet you, though I regret that it is under these circumstances."

She walked right up to her with a warm and welcoming smile as she shook the shy woman's hand. I smiled and was in awe of how welcoming she was with others and how much her attitude drew people in. Stark smiled slyly my way and lightly kicked my shin to get my attention off Bella.

"Mrs. Green, Tony Stark. Good to meet you. We called you here because we needed to get the ball rolling on this place, we called the owner but frankly, he is an idiot. We wanted to know what type of thing you do here? It's a homeless shelter but how do you get money for the rent?"

Bella took my arm silently and led me to the back so I could help her get some chairs for them to sit.

"You are welcome to sit in on this too Steve. You don't have to go to the back with everyone else. They are just sweeping the back rooms I think."

I nodded and thanked her before getting an extra chair for myself. Once every one was sitting, Mrs. Green began speaking about her grandmothers family being slaves and were always helped to escape the south by people who opened their homes to them. She had tried to help other people all her life in return of good karma.

"My husband and I were never able to have kids so we became foster parents for a long time but when he passed away, I began to help cook for soup kitchens and volunteer for homeless shelters, I saw the way some staff treated and talked down to some of them and the conditions of the places they had to sleep sometimes. I gathered what I could to begin renting out this place and got the help from community lawyers to inform me of what I needed to do. The people that come here are very good, we kept open by whatever they could give and donations but they couldn't give much since we don't have enough for the kitchen to be open, they had to save money to buy food somewhere. I always made sure the few rooms I had open were clean though."

Bella and Tony exchanged glances throughout her story but this last time they looked at each other for a while. Having some kind of silent conversation. They nodded at each other and I could only sit back and wonder how they did it. He and Bucky could do that too but it was funny how he could tell what Bucky wanted by a single twitch of an eyebrow, when Bella and Tony did it though, he had no idea what an eyebrow twitch meant. Stark turned and became all business with Mrs. Green.

"Are you still interested in opening this place back up?"

"Oh, it's a nice thought and I am so grateful that you kids have cleaned up the trash but, Mr. Tran won't be okay with paying for the remodel and I do not have enough to restock the place with supplies and furniture. We had a good run but I think it's time I look for somewhere else to start volunteering."

Bella looked to Stark once more and gave him a nod. I saw his lips move as he whispered something her way, not loud enough for anyone else to hear.

"Mrs. Green, if you would be interested, we would like to buy this building from Mr. Tran and remodel this place ourselves. Tony has agreed to pay for the remodel and I would be glad to buy supplies and cots for all the rooms. We would draw up a contract with you to have everything in writing but we would like this place to be used to it's max potential, we understand that is quite a lot of responsibility to put on your shoulders and so, would like to have _you _hire 6 or 8 employees that can fill in to clean the rooms and the multiple beds in them, security, people that can work in the kitchen, and that don't have a problem washing up shower stalls. Anything you can think of really. If you do not need that many employees that is fine but we would want this place to be running in an organized manner."

Mrs. Green at one point had begun to cry and but was at a loss of words when it came time for her to talk.

"I- Oh, we don't have showers here."

"That would be part of the remodel, we would include that. We only ask that the new wings that would be opened up could have a priority to homeless veterans. You know how there are too many cases that l-"

Bella stopped talking when Mrs. Green broke down crying. Bella looked to Stark and to me with a look of confusion.

"Oh! You- you have- no idea what that means to me! I only have 10 or 11 men that come every night, they give me all the money they can and they help keep this place clean from people looking for a place to keep their needles and drugs. They do so much and they are almost all veterans!"

She cried a little more but composed herself for a moment to keep talking.

"I know their cases, I know how many veterans there are in the streets. Thank you, thank you both. We even have 2 mutants that sometimes come and stay, we welcome them and kick out anyone who discriminates against them. I know what you are and what some people on the news say about mutants but no one who stays here thinks like that."

Bella smiled at her softly and touched her hand.

"Thank you for your words but really this is something that is needed in this community and what you do is so great. We are just glad that we can help rebuild this place. Can we get your proper contact information?"

"Of course! Oh, they will be so happy to hear about the remodel. Do you know if it will be done by Christmas? It would be such a good present for them."

"Of course, you have my word that it will be done by Thanksgiving even."

The woman got up and started crying silently again as she hugged all 3 of us and left.

"That was uncomfortable.."

"Tony! She got emotional is all."

"Yeah, a little too much but she seemed like a decent woman."

"Yeah, she does. What do you think Steve?"

"Uh, she was certainly nice. I just don't understand what she meant when she said, and you said, that a lot of veterans are homeless? Why is that?"

Stark sighed and put his hands up.

"Before you get her started, lets wait until we get home yeah? There's not much else we can do today if we are not owners so let's just go so I can get started on negotiating with this Mr. Tran."

Bella glared playfully his way before winking at me and going to the back to get everyone.

I sent Kitty, Piotr, Tony, and Logan off home in one cab while we took another one to the closest mall with Steve and Pepper. Natasha had stayed behind with Phil and said she would meet up with us for dinner and would bring Phil with her. He apparently was looking forward to dinner with Captain America.

"Alright Steve, lets get you some nice clothes."

"You know I appreciate it Bella, and I'm thankful that you came along to help too Pepper but you don't need to buy me clothes, really I don't want you to spend money on me when I couldn't pay you back."

I looked to him seriously and in that moment, he reminded me of what I use to be like with Alice.

"Steve, I always hated to try on clothes and hated getting presents from people so I can understand that you may be uncomfortable. If you really want to go home, we can, but you really do need this and I hope you let me do this for you. It's not a waste of money, it's a necessity."

Pepper nodded at him and steered him towards the men's department.

"If it makes you feel better, we promise not to buy any expensive clothes that are super pricey just because they are a big brand name okay?"

He looked to both of us a little lost but gave a small smile and nodded.

"Great! Alright, we need to get you basic stuff so underwear first. Briefs or boxers?"

"Or boxer briefs?"

His face flamed up and he averted his eyes from our faces. _He doesn't even know what he got into._

"Come on, we'll just get you some of each and you can see what you like best. We can do the same thing with undershirts."

2 hours later we were finally leaving the store. We actually finished quite fast with Steve but Pepper started shopping for herself and made me start trying on 3 dresses and after torturing Steve with making him try on stuff, he was more than happy to encourage Pepper while smirking at me. _Sexy bastard._ I was leaving with 2 new hot dresses with lace accents and a- line fittings. Once was dark blue and the other was an emerald green. _And they had pockets! How fucking amazing was that?! _

For Steve we got Work out clothes like shorts and track pants with 2 pairs of work out shoes. 1 suit, 2 ties. (Just in case.) 1 pair of dress shoes, 2 pairs of casual shoes, Belts, over 10 dress shirts in different fittings, colors, and fabrics. 4 pairs of well fitting jeans, 2 pairs of slacks, 5 button up collared sport shirts, 2 solid polo shirts, 6 sweaters, 15 undershirts, 2 sport jackets, a Blouson jacket, Denim jacket, then because I though he looked hot, a brown Racer jacket. Finally, the only thing he actually asked to get was a dark gray Wool Car Jacket.

"I never have to do that again right?"

I laughed but patted his back and kept walking.

"Right?!"

"These clothes won't last forever but spending 2 hours in a store just trying stuff on? No, you never have to do that again."

He nodded looking relieved. I heard his and Pepper's stomachs rumble and realized I was starving too.

"You guys wanna go home now? I'm pretty hungry and I'm sure everyone else is too. Plus, the store said they would deliver all the clothes in less than an hour."

They readily agreed and we hopped into the first cab we spotted.

"What should I make for dinner? Something fast I think."

I laughed as they both nodded with enthusiasm.

"Hm, maybe I can help you make your lasagna? It's going to be cold tonight and that would go well with a red Cabernet."

"Ooh yea that sounds good. You think I have time to make a tiramisu?"

Steve's eyes widened and his stomach growled once again, so it was clear he knew what that was and wanted some. We stayed silent in the car the rest of the way home but kept yawning once in a while. I knew all the events of yesterday would have us in a permanent state of exhaustion for 1 week or 2. I couldn't imagine what Thor must be going through, put in the middle of his brother and his father straight after the fight yesterday. Then repairing the Bifrost and part of the rainbow bridge will take a lot of energy too I think.

"Bella?"

I snapped out of my thinking and looked to Steve and Pepper, realizing we were in front of the building and they were out of the car already.

"Sorry."

I got out of the car and paid the driver before turning to walk with them back inside. It was great to be home but I found myself getting lost in thought for the rest of the day, found my body moving automatically while I cooked. I kept thinking about the clean air in the mountains of Asgard, the beauty in the architecture, and the overall magic of being in another realm, surrounded by a new history and culture that I couldn't travel to on earth. I had learned how hard it had been for Tony, for Kitty, for my family, how different life had been without me here and I felt almost guilt for missing Asgard. I missed them when I was there and cried over them but in between, I learned new things with Sif, I had amazing adventures, _I had fun._ I had fun while they were here missing me. Was it wrong to miss it then? I would never choose to go back and stay there. Visit? Yes, move there by myself? No. So why was I wasting time feeling guilt over something that is not even an issue?… I mean, I want to be there now, I want to help fight off the marauders! I wish I could use the Bifrost as a warrior with them and storm into a realm to battle against them. It was the type of battles you saw in movies. What we did yesterday was very tactical and it was to save the damn world from being taken over but I longed for the types of battles in Asgardian history books, the types of battles that Jasper and Peter told me about from their times in the vampire wars. Was that dark? Logan had told me once that side effects from his blood would be that my instincts would be heightened and more primal. Logan's blood mixed with the vampire venom in my system from Jame's bite, all that plus the already heightened senses from the cosmic exposure… Just how primal are my instincts? Do they overpower my human ones?

"BELLA!"

I flinched for a moment and gasped as flames erupted throughout my whole body.

"Shit! Sorry, Sorry!"

I turned and saw everyone standing there just staring at me but all I could do was put my head in my hands and sigh in exasperation. _What is wrong with my control lately?! I was good before I left! Even in Asgard I never struggled with it!_ I focused on pulling the flames away from my face but since I wasn't wearing any clothes with solution on them, they were all ashes on the ground.

"I'm gonna go get clothes. Excuse me."

I muttered out the words softly but turned to get away quickly. Logan got in my way and crossed his arms while giving me an analyzing glare.

"What is with you? We sat around the kitchen with you all day and you never so much as looked our way. Your senses are off, you are jittery, you are stuck in your head. What is going on?"

He could tell my senses were off, of course I should have thought to go to Logan, he is the only one who had an insider idea as to what is going on.

"I don't know. I was fine yesterday I guess because I was busy, obviously. This morning I was fine too but now, I just, my control is slipping, I'm having trouble keeping it in and I don't know why, my instincts are all over the place and…. I'm just having trouble adjusting to everything again. I'm sorry."

He nodded slowly and took off his leather jacket before draping it over me and zipping it up so no one could see my body.

"Sit down, take a deep breath, and just tell me what you are having trouble with exactly. All those little things are what get you worked up and into a berserker rage."

My head swung up as I looked him in the eyes.

"Berserker? Those rages you go into? That can't happen to me, can it?!"

"It happens to me. We have to assume it can to you. You were thrown in another world, lets start there. What was that like? Peaceful or stressful?"

"Well, at first it was really bad. I just wanted to come home. Then we started hearing rumors about Loki making portals to other realms and thought maybe one of them could be to Midgard, uh- I mean earth- _her__e! _We tried portal after portal and it was very stressful when we went through and I was in another planet instead of home, it was disappointing but in between that, I spent my time reading and learning as much as I could. I walked through the mountains and breathed in the air, it is so light, no pollution, no car traffic or city noise.. It was as peaceful as you could imagine… Then I trained with them and we never had to hold back, I guess because they are more durable and stronger than humans and because they have a healing room, it was easier for me to let go of my control. I never had to worry about slipping because nothing ever startled me or angered me. Now I'm back and I feel like I did all those years ago, like.. like my emotions are driving me and ugh, I don't even know how to explain it."

Logan looked to me and sighed almost regretfully.

"When I go into my.. rages, It's because stress or anger is gettin' to me. When I am fighting with someone and I have stress, it gets hard to control it. What you're describing, if I were you, I would have already gone into a rage so that means you will have control of yourself but still.. it's like having an anxiety attack, ya feel the effects slowly creeping up on you, it could last from an hour to days, then when it is over, your control will be back to how you had it before. One thing is for sure though, you need a session with me in the danger room. I know what ya need to take out that aggression and it sure as hell wasn't that sissy fight from yesterday."

I readily agreed but Tony was having none of it.

"Sissy fight?! Buddy if you call that a sissy fight then I sure as hell don't want to go into battle with you."

"She needs to let it out. We have more primal instincts when we are in these stages. What ya guys did yesterday was very controlled. She had to watch for civilians, she was tryin' to watch out to not break any buildings, she had to do multiple things at once. What she needs and wants if a good ole fashion slaughtering. Just look up the legends of where the term 'Berserk' came from. It's a fury that happens durin' battle. It begins with your control slippin' and all the signs she got. When you are in that stage, you cut down everything you are met with, everything an' everyone. No discriminating between friend or foe. When ya wake from it, your head gets dull and your body gets weak. That goes on for 2 or 3 days. We need to get it out of her now before it comes out on it's own and she is out in public where she can hurt someone."

My eyes filled with tears that didn't fall but they were partially there out of fear of hurting someone, fear that we needed to do this and that I _would_ hurt Logan, and also there from anger, I could feel it, feel the need to lash out on him for underestimating my control. I was losing control over him saying I was fucking losing control. _How fucked up is that?!_

"Look, can we just do this after dinner and after Darcy and Jane get here? I can keep it together a while longer, I know I can."

"Darlin' I'm sorry, this is not something I wanted to pass down to ya."

"It's fine Logan. I just don't know why it's coming out now. I've been 10 times more stressed than I am now and this has never happened before."

"Now ya are stressed and let out some aggression yesterday with the fighting but constantly had to hold back so it actually built more stress on yourself, your body is no longer use to holding back after the passed 8 months in a place that suited your fire."

I sighed and rolled my eyes because damn, that made perfect sense and it pissed me the fuck off that it did. My fingertips jolted and let out sparks as the oven timer went off.

_Fucking slipping control!_

They looked at me with concern and sadness and I just had to take a deep breath to not tell them to fuck off. They are my family, I love them, they are just concerned for me right now. I had to repeat that in my head 3 times until I calmed down and was excused long enough to get dressed and come back down to serve all the food right on time for Phil and Nat to get here.

Needless to say, dinner was slightly awkward for the first 5 minutes or so, especially since 2 of our guests didn't know what was gong on but Phil didn't really mind it, he was just asking Steve if he enjoyed the food and was watching him eat in awe. Kitty was able to diffuse it slightly when she started asking questions.

"So, um I know you said you wanted to wait to tell us the whole story when we are all here but, what did you do? Like what was it like sleeping in another planet? Do they have beds just like we do and pluming for toilets and showers like us?"

"Oh yeah, they did have all of that but they also have springs and lakes. A lot of people use those because they believe it cleanses them both physically and spiritually. I just used the bathroom in my room, that was no normal bathroom though, the tub was like a small pool and the size was ridiculous."

"So you got your own room? Did someone let you stay at their house?"

"Well I got stuck there because of Loki so the King proclaimed me as a royal guest for my stay so I stayed in the palace and got a room."

"You stayed in a castle?! That is awesome! What did it look like?"

I smiled at her enthusiasm.

"Honestly I can't properly describe it. It was all gold, everything, the walls, the throne room, even the guards armor. You know the gold castle that comes out in the little mermaid? Picture that, but bigger and grander."

"Wow."

"Yeah. It was hard in the beginning because, for them, science and magic is the same thing. Magic to us is a non reality but I witnessed it everyday there, it flows through all the halls and city corridors. I would really like to ask permission for you guys to see it one day. Of course only when I know for sure that the Bifrost is repaired. The only thing that really sucked about the place was the food. It really sucks."

Tony smirked in a way that made me know he was going to say something sarcastic but Jarvis interrupted him.

'_The elevator is being called down by Ms. Lewis and Ms. Foster. Shall I allow the action Bella?'_

"Of course! Thank you Jarvis."

I got up quickly and made my way to the elevator with everyone following after a moment. As soon as the doors opened I saw Darcy's face for a second before it blurred and I found myself being tackled to the floor in one of her hugs. She half laughed and half cried as she hugged me.

"You bitch! You go and hop in a free ride to Asgard with a bunch of hot dudes and you leave me here alone with Jane!"

I laughed and cried with her as her voice cracked with her tears.

"Aww I'm sorry Darcy!"

She pulled back and smacked her lips on mine for a moment, leaving me stunned. She laughed and got off me before helping me up. Everyone else was equally shocked but Jane recovered first and came to hug me tight.

"I'm so glad you are back! We tried, I looked for signs but I couldn't find anything to indicate if you were coming back and then we get called to another thing which was so _fake_ by the way!"

She turned to glare at Phil, who had the decency to look guilty.

"So? What was it like? Did you have any hot warrior sex with any of those guys? Are space guys hotter or was it just the group that came with Thor? Where is he anyway?"

"Darcy! Shut up!"

My face started smoking but from the lack or control I had, my cheeks actually let out some sparks. I saw Pepper and Nat smirking, Kitty and Piotr looked grossed out, Logan and Tony just looked at Steve, who actually looked upset? I wonder why? Did Tony tell him something I didn't hear?

"Don't tell me to shut up, It's a valid question! You had to get off somehow, I doubt there's toys in space! Are there?"

"Eww! That is so gross Aunt Darcy!"

She laughed and moved to hug Kitty.

"I haven't seen you in forever munchkin. You look taller. Are you over your bitchy stage?"

Kitty looked to me overwhelmed by Darcy's personality but smiled and nodded as she hugged her back.

"I smell your delicious food! We've been living off of cup of noodles and frozen meals the past 8 months you know."

I laughed and led her to the dining room where I served 2 more plates and they sat down. Jane looked around and looked to me with a look in her eye.

"So, where is Thor?"

"Um, well he really wanted to talk to you but it was important that he got Loki back to Asgard immediately. He did say that as soon as the Bifrost was fixed, this would be the first place he came."

She looked crestfallen as she looked down at her plate.

"Really Jane, he did want to see you. I asked him if he wanted me to give you a message and he said no, that he wanted to talk to you in person. That's a good sign right? It's just that he needed to take Loki to the King, that was his main mission and task that he was given."

She didn't look as upset but still a little disappointed. Darcy frowned, looking at Jane's upset posture.

"Well, he must be a stupid King then to not let his son do whatever he wants."

It was instinctual for me to huff is anger. I forgot where I was for a moment and only thought about the punishment for talking like that about the King. They all turned to look at me and I could see Logan tense up, waiting for me to lose it.

"Darcy, you _cannot _say that. He is a great King, of course Thor wanted to talk to Jane but the courts duties come before yourself always."

Okay, I could hear myself….

"Sorry, that was just repeated to me so many times that now it's ingrained in my head."

"What happens if someone speaks against him?"

"Guards are to bring him or her into the throne room and analyze the situation, that is how imprisonment time or punishment is estimated."

"Dang."

We went back to eating but I could see that they still had plenty of questions about my time there.

"We can meet up tomorrow if you guys want. I know you want me to clear things up but I didn't want to repeat things over and over. Maybe all of us along with Aunt May and Peter, hopefully Bruce will be up by tomorrow morning, then I can try to answer everything you guys got."

They nodded relieved that I was not going to keep avoiding the conversation. Logan stared at me and would turn to look at Steve before turning back to me. It annoyed me as much as it confused me but then Steve kept looking to me too and I found that I didn't mind it from him. _God I couldn't wait for them to finish eating! I needed that danger room session no__w!_


	32. Chapter 32

**They call her Human Torch! Chapter 32**

**3 hours later.**

We had waited until Nat and Phil left, and until Kitty, Piotr, Jane, and Darcy had gone to sleep. Tony tried getting Pepper to go to bed as well but she refused and said if she could not be in the danger room then she was going to be working in the office and he was to go get her as soon as we were out.

"Alright, Steve, Tony, you guys are going to stay up here and under no circumstances are you to go down into the room okay? In fact, I would feel better if you guys went to bed as well and just let Logan and I handle it… I know I will hurt him but he heals fast"

"No Bella, I want to be here for both of you and also just in case he loses control as well."

_Shit, _Steve is right, what if Logan loses it too? Between the 2 of us we could kill everyone in the building and not even remember.

"Logan, he's right, I don't think this is a good idea."

He gave Tony a look and then turned back to me and pushed me into the room before closing the door and locking it. I saw Tony through the observation window rush to lock the other side of the door as well.

"Let it out."

"Logan, we have to consider what could happen if-"

He cut me off by taking out his claws and swiping at my face. I ducked last second but was thrown off balance when he kicked my ribs.

"Logan what the fuck?!"

"You are going to hurt me when you lose it, but until you do, I will hurt you."

"How is that going-"

"SHUT UP!"

He swiped for me again but I kept backing up and missing the hits.

"Stop talking, stop backing up and running, start fighting back. This is what you wanted isn't it? I'm wondering how long you will last in a fight before you pull out your flames. You wouldn't have ever gotten into shield without them, you suck at combat."

"What is he doing? He does know that she is very good at fighting without her fire right? We've seen her."

"He's pushing and prodding at her and it's working."

I looked down and knew he was right. She glared back at him and the more he talked down to her the angrier she got. She started throwing punches back but not enough to hurt him.

"You call that a punch? That is pathetic. First you lose control of your flames and now you are even forgetting how to put strength behind a hit? I think you went soft in Asgard, or worse, you are reverting back to that little human you were. Think your Cullen friends will still want to chat with you when they find out you are the little weak human they left behind again?"

Stark froze next to me but I was confused. Who are the Cullen's? Logan turned his back on her shocked face but he turned last second and slapped her. I felt my hands ball up instantly.

"What the hell is that bastard doing? You don't hit a woman that way, not even in a real fight."

I moved to the door but Stark blocked it and pushed me towards the window overlooking the room.

"Look I don't like it either Romeo and I'm sure Logan hates to hit her like that but it's working."

I studied her face and saw her eyes had darkened considerably. Her posture had crouched slightly and her head tilted as she studied Logan.

"What's the matter? Nothing to say? No of course not. You need someone to come protect you don't you?"

He went to slap her again but she leaped on him instantly and tackled him, wrapping her hands around his neck. Logan used his legs to knock her off but before he could get up, she was on him again. They circled around each other for a moment but he smirked while Stark and I cringed. Her eyes were focused on his every movement, at the same time her eyes didn't really see him, he was the enemy now. She was moving on the tips of her toes, it was something so graceful and beautiful but I knew this was not the time to see her beauty, her movements were truly that of an animal hunting. Movement caught my attention as Stark started messing with the board of switches.

"What are you going to put in there?"

"We need to startle her. She wanted a slaughter? She is getting one. What do you know about Game Of Thrones?"

"Game of what? This is not the time for games Stark!"

"Well that answers that… Spoiler alert! This is footage from the latest episode."

The room converted until it was a mountain landscape. The image caught Bella's attention but suddenly hoards of men were seen running over the mountain, they had armor and swords as they let out a battle cry. Logan ducked away to a corner of the room and watched as her eyes turned black. She ran towards the center of the group, grabbing the biggest man and throwing him towards the ones behind her, they went down and gave her enough time to kill everyone in front of her before turning back to them. The bodies on the floor glitched, and if they were real, I'm sure she would be covered in blood by now. She grabbed at the first limb she could reach and ripped it off, be it a leg or a head. We watched frozen at the massacre, there was no longer anything beautiful about it, or there shouldn't be but a part of me saw her and wanted to be by her side. She was not just stunning, she was deadly and powerful, she never stopped to think twice, she did what needed to be done and gave in to her instincts. I had a feeling that seeing someone else do this, become this, would make me uncomfortable but seeing her brought out an instinct in myself. I wanted to walk in there and claim her somehow. A dark part of me wanted her desperately in a way that was not gentlemanly at all.

I didn't want Logan to get another step closer to her, he wouldn't dare slap her in such a degrading way again because if he ever tried, it would be me in there with him, not her. My focus had been on her, on her every move, I had missed any signal that Logan had given Stark but suddenly the armored warriors were gone and replaced with armed guards. All of them shot at her at once, she grabbed who she could and let her flames cover her body in an effort to protect herself but the shocks from all the weapons aimed at her brought her to her knees. Logan moved in closer and the guards let up enough for her to get back up but before she could start fighting back, Logan took his claws and drove them straight through her stomach.

Logan had warned him of how he would do this, how he was going to try and shock her system to make it fast but watching him drive his claws through her and watching her flames die down as the blood seeped out was enough to make me swallow down the dinner that threatened to come back up. Her black eyes dimmed as she lost focus around her but I could see her body shaking from here. The pounding at the door brought my attention to Steve as he panted and tried to undo the locks.

"Hey, It's locked from inside too."

He didn't respond but he backed up and I could see the beginning of sweat on his neck and face as his shoulders lifted and fell from the panting.

"What is wrong with you? Are you sweating?"

He again didn't respond but lunged at the door and kicked it. He made a gigantic dent but it still didn't open. He backed up again and went to throw himself at the door.

"What are you doing?! What is wrong with you man? That's a new do-"

I had gotten in his way only to be freaking pushed aside. He hit the door again and managed to knock it aside. He threw it down the stairs and raced in. I followed after him but faltered when he got to where Logan was holding a barely breathing Bella. He pushed Logan away and punched his jaw. _This guy has balls to punch Logan._ Logan made no move to hit him back, he watched on in pained confusion while his shattered jaw snapped back into place. He looked to me but I shrugged. Steve sat next to where Bella was and pulled her onto his lap, cradling her face and breathing in her hair. We moved closer but he looked up, his eyes were darkened, pupils expanded while he glared at me but Logan took another step and Steve shuffled back with Bella.

"STAY AWAY FROM HER! SHE'S _MINE!"_

He pushed her stay hair away from her face and breathed into her hair again.

"Cap what the fuck are you-"

Logan put his arm against my chest and moved us back as he shushed me.

"What are you doing?! What is wrong with him?"

He shook his head and watched them in fascination. Bella opened her eyes slowly, they were unfocused and confused but she didn't say anything. She took a deep breath and looked scared but Steve got close to her hair to breath on it again and she turned her face to bury it in his chest and took a deep breath. Her whole body relaxed at the same time that Steve's and Logan's did. I could feel my eyes crinkled in confusion.

"Why is she-?"

"I think they just damn mated."

"WHAT?!"

My yell made Bella flinch and brought Steve's glare back on me while he rocked her body in his arms. _What the hell?_

"What do you mean they mated? They still have their clothes on."

"Mated doesn't mean they have to fuck Tony! I think her 'primal' side found a mate in him and woke up some instincts in him too."

"She is not an animal though! What, is the mating going to go away when she snaps out of this phase?"

"No, if it was just her primal side then he wouldn't have reacted to it. I think it's the vampire venom she has in her. Do we know what was in his serum? Because there's gotta be something other than chemicals to get him like this."

My cell phone rang loudly in my pocket, making Bella flinch again with her eyes now closed. Steve glared at me harder, I don't even know how he manages to be that angry.

'Hello?'

'We are on our way.'

'Peter? How the hell is your gift working?'

'Alice can see her in her visions right now and I _know_ that she did mate with that guy, it's the vampire side of her like Logan said but I don't really know how or why he acted like that. I just know Char and I need to come up for a while and we need to stay at your place.'

'Pep and I are staying with Bella.'

'For now, but you need to have a team fix up your building fast and move the green guy with you. You guys are gonna need to leave the new couple alone once everything dies down, gonna need to go back to seeing them on weekends only just like before. They are going to need a lot of alone time. I don't know why yet, I don't think it's for sex though… he seems like a prude from what Alice described..'

I heard him yelp as Charlotte hit him and took over the phone.

'Don't listen to my husband, Alice said he was good looking, just more traditional, they will both be confused when they snap out of it. Alice is booking us a flight now and she said we will be there in less than 10 hours.'

Another voice I had never heard before came on.

'Hello? This is Alice.'

'The psychic that Bella hates?'

'Um, I don't- I guess she does.'

Well shit, now I felt like an asshole.

'What were you going to say?'

'Um, just don't bug them, he saw you and Logan hurting her and will feel you are a threat to her until she gains her strength back. They will be pretty confused but will remember everything. I can't see how Bella will react because her shield will come up on it's own when her strength is back. All I know is that you need to let Peter and Charlotte take the lead on explaining what mating means in the vampire sense.'

'So this is permanent? How did it happen?'

'Peter will explain all of that to them but yes, when two people find their mates it's permanent.'

I sighed and said a quick goodbye before hanging up and turning to Logan. He was watching the door but it wasn't until I turned that I saw Steve making his way up the stairs quickly and taking Bella in his arms.

"Where is he going now?! This is messed up."

He nodded but still had a thoughtful look on his face as he started following them up the steps. We ended up following them back to Bella's room where Steve sat rigidly with his back against the headboard while he positioned Bella so her head rested on his lap and she hugged his knee to her chest. Pepper must have heard movement on this floor because she came out of the office and came to the hall to peek in with us.

"What are we looking at? How did the session go with Bella?"

She got a good look and gasped back at what she saw. She moved to go in but we stopped her and took her to the office to explain everything.

...

"So, wait, I don't understand, they are mated like Peter and Char are mated? That's good isn't it? Strange to us, but good for them."

"I'm not saying it's bad but.. humans don't mate."

"But Tony, she is not human. And he, well, I don't know what he is but definitely not human, I mean he survived being frozen for how many decades?"

We didn't know how to respond to that so we just stayed quiet and thought it over for a moment. This was fucked up, I didn't know how to process it. Pepper got up and asked us to stay here while she checked on them.

"You can't go in there Pep, he is not in the right state of mind."

"With you guys he is not because he thinks you want to hurt her or something. I will just go in there carefully and ask if I can clean her up. She is all bloody from her stomach and it stained his pants already. If he glares or something then I promise I will get right out of there but it might do some good if he sees that I want to just care for her."

I didn't agree but Logan did and in the end we gave in, choosing to stand in the doorway while she went in.

I took a deep breath and pushed the door slightly to make a big enough gap to step into. Steve looked up at me and raised an eyebrow but didn't really look mad, he did look very confused and protective though.

"Hey Steve? I know Bella needs her rest but can I get her cleaned up? She has blood on her shirt and she should be changed into something more comfortable."

He looked down at her bloody clothes as if looking at them for the first time.

"You want me to go get some comfortable clothes for you too? It was delivered hours ago and Bella asked us to put it in a room on this floor. I'm guessing you are going to stay here with her? Or do you want to go and change."

He was already shaking his head before I finished.

"I'm staying with her."

"Okay, I'll go bring you clothes then."

"...Thank you."

I stepped out quickly at almost ran to his room with Tony and Logan following me.

"What happened?"

"Oh please Logan, like you didn't listen in! I just asked if he wanted to come and change into clean clothes and he said he wanted to stay with her. It's like he hadn't really seen the bloody mess of her shirt. He seems very protective and affectionate to her but at the same time, he looks confused, like he is not sure why that is."

"Well yeah, guy has a crush on her, sees her freak out, then freaks out himself! Peter and Charlotte can't get here fast enough"

I got him a pair of pajama pants and one of his new undershirts before making my way back to Bella's room. I showed him the clothes and put them on the edge of the bed. I didn't say anything while I walked into her closet and got some underwear, pajama shorts, and a loose Tshirt. I made eye contact with him and put her clothes on the edge of the bed too before walking into the bathroom to get some rags and wet them so I could clean her up. I knew it would be difficult to get her changed and I didn't want to let him see her naked for the first time while she was passed out so I figured I could use some scissors to get her shirt off. Walking back into the room he eyed the scissors and narrowed his eyes slightly.

"I'm just going to cut the shirt off. It's ruined with her blood anyway. Can you help me sit her up?"

He nodded and got to it. Soon she was sitting and I began in the front. She rolled her head slightly and mumbled while her eyes half opened.

"Pepper?"

"Hey Bella, you're fine, you just need to rest for a day or two. I'm cutting this shirt off you to make you more comfortable okay? Steve is right behind you."

Just his name seemed to calm her.

"Steve?"

He put his hand on her hair and they both took deep breaths. _Are they smelling each other?_

"I'm right here Bella, I won't let anyone hurt you."

She relaxed against him and I finished cutting the front of her shirt. Steve helped me take it off like you would a jacket. I threw her shirt aside and used the wet rags to clean her stomach up and then dry it from the water. Of course her stomach was perfectly healed without any scar that Logan ever hurt her. I put the t shirt over her head and leaned her front on me while I reached around to her back and unclasped her bra. Her bare back was exposed to him and when I leaned her back to cover her front I noticed his eyes darkened at the feel of her bare back pressed against him. I quickly put her arms though the shirt and brought it down. _Well he saw her bare back but at least he didn't see her breasts._

"Okay, this is the harder part. Help me lay her down?"

He moved off to the side of the bed and put her head back to rest on a pillow. I undid the button of her jeans and paused to look at him.

"Um, you want to change in the closet or the bathroom while I change her pants?"

He seemed to fight with himself on it before nodding and moving towards the bathroom after getting the clothes. He half closed the door so he couldn't see out but he could listen to whatever I was doing. Alright, lets do this fast! I thanked god I had experience changing pants on a sleeping girl from all the times Darcy got drunk and passed out when holiday parties or birthday parties got too crazy. I got her jeans off quick but felt awkward while removing her panties. I slid them down fast and wasted no time in getting the other pair on before getting the pajama shorts up her legs. I actually felt a little out of breath from trying to lift her hips to get the underwear and shorts on. I blew out a deep breath and got up off my knees. I guess the movement was all the sign Steve needed because he quickly came out from the bathroom and came to the bed. He narrowed his eyes slightly when I stopped him from sitting on it but relaxed when he saw me pull back the covers.

"Can you carry her please?"

I didn't have to ask twice for him to reach down for her and cradle her head against his chest. His posture relaxed and she snuggled into him in her sleep. It was actually strange to see but they just seemed in sync with each other. I told him where to place her after arranging the pillows and he sat in next to her before placing her head on his lap. I pulled the duvet cover over both of them and sat on the very edge of the bed.

"So Steve, how do you feel?"

He looked to me blankly and thought about the question for a solid minute.

"Confused. I know I shouldn't be sharing this bed with her, but I can't let her go. Her smell is heightened now, and it relaxes me, my smell seems to relax her too and she wants me with her. It doesn't make sense but its like I just know that she needs me right now and I need to be with her to protect her while she is vulnerable."

Well when he said it like that, it actually seemed romantic.

"Look, some of Bella's friends know what happened and they are on their way to explain it all to the both of you."

"Do you know what it is?"

"Well.. yes but since I don't know how to explain it, I think we should just hold off on it. What I _can_ say is that, when her primal instincts were awoken, they seemed to have woken some of yours and _I _think that is why the both of you clung to each other. I could be wrong but from what Tony and Logan said, that is what it sounds like."

He stiffened when I said their names and his pupils expanded a little.

"I know they had to do what they did for her, and that she agreed to it, but I don't want them near her until she wakes up."

I nodded and smiled softly at him.

"They understand. We are all waiting for our friends to get here and try to explain. They should be here mid morning. Until then, the guys won't come in here."

He nodded and went back to watching her sleep when I got up to leave.

"Steve?"

He looked back at me confused and alert.

"Just try to relax okay? Try to sleep and lay down beside her. Maybe it's a good thing to give in to your instincts and your wants, even if you don't understand them yet. I promise no one else will come in here until morning, I'll have Jarvis put a sensor at the door so you will be woken up if some one opens the door while you are asleep."

He relaxed and nodded gratefully.

"Thank you Pepper."

I smiled at him one last time and turned to walk out and close the door. Logan didn't even pretend that he wasn't listening and Tony asked what happened even though I opened the door and he was leaning on it with his ear cupping the door.

"Lets just go to sleep and see what happens in the morning."

Logan nodded and took the stairs down but Tony took my hand and led me up to the observatory and opened up the roof.

"You know what this whole mating and primal stuff reminds me of?"

"What is that?"

He smirked and sat me on his lap.

"The bad touch by Bloodhound Gang"

"What song is that?"

I knew I shouldn't have asked as soon as I saw his smirk get bigger. He wiggled his eyebrow and started singing in a low seductive voice.

'_You and me baby ain't nothing but_

_mammals_

_So let's do it like they do on the Discovery Channel'_

"OH! Tony! Oh my god!"

I glared at him but had to bite the inside of my cheek to keep from laughing. He started cracking up and eventually I had to join in.

"For the record, I disapprove of laughing over Bella and Steve's situation!"

He shrugged and leaned in to my ear.

"So?"

"So what?"

"How about we go mate?"

_**8 hours later.**_

I was jolted awake with a loud guitar solo playing right in my ear.

"Tony!"

He jolted awake as well and grimaced at the volume before telling Jarvis to turn it off.

"Sorry, I gotta fix that bug. I told him to wake us up whenever everyone else woke up and left their rooms. We have to talk to them before they go looking for Bella, and Peter sent me a text a few hours ago saying their flight landed at 8:30 am so they would be at the elevator at 10:16 am. Guess we will see how accurate his little gift is."

I nodded and got up even though I just wanted to roll over and sleep for another 2 hours. We dressed quickly and made it into the kitchen at the same time as Kitty and Logan did.

"Good Morning! How was my mom's session last night?"

"Um, it was.. not what we were expecting but we will wait for everyone to wake up and come in before we see what is going to happen."

Kitty looked at the 3 of us as her breathing sped up and panic set in her eyes.

"What happened? Where is she?! Is she gone again?"

We hurried to calm her when her eyes began to water but she insisted on seeing her.

"Kitty, she is in her room but she is asleep. You cannot go in there yet, not until Peter and Charlotte get here."

She froze and a hopeful look replaced her panic.

"They're coming? When?"

"They should be here by 10:30. Why don't you go wake everyone up and have them come in here so we can have a family meeting. Just not Bella, Steve, or Bruce. I'll go into Bruce's room and see how passed out he is."

"Will he get mad if you wake him up?"

"I don't know. Go wake them up hun, meet here in 10 minutes yeah?"

She nodded and turned to go out of the kitchen.

"Tony, you go, or better yet, you and Logan go check on Bruce while I order breakfast."

"Why don't you just make something?"

I responded with the best glare I could muster.

"I am not a machine like Bella. I don't know how she ever makes enough to fill the both of you up, let alone like 7 other people!"

He put his hands up and backed away before leaving the kitchen with Logan smirking behind him. _Alright,_ how much food do you order for a Hulk and a super soldier? More than what Logan and Tony eat? I sighed and decided left overs wouldn't sit on the counter for too long anyway so too much is better than not enough. 10 minutes on the dot, Kitty came back into the kitchen with Piotr, Jane, and a very grumpy Darcy.

"Can you give a good excuse as to I was dragged out of bed?"

"Yes, but first we need to wait to see if Logan and Tony managed to wake up Bruce."

"That dude is still asleep?! God his back is gonna hurt when he finally gets up!"

Piotr turned bright red when Tony and Logan came into the kitchen with Bruce trailing sleepily behind.

"Hi Bruce, how was your sleep?"

"Uh, good thanks."

Tony smirked at him before motioning for everyone to take a seat.

"Alright, buckle up kids, you're about to be taken on a wild ride!"

Bruce and Piotr smirked but everyone else pretty much gave him a go to hell look.

"Tough crowd. Alright, so Logan and I briefly caught Bruce here up to what happened while he took his beauty nap, as all you know, Bella was feeling pretty on edge last night and Logan here thought a session in the danger room would do her some good. It did, kinda, I guess. She gave into her instinct, went bat shit, but then Capsicle-"

"Alright enough, Tony if you are not going to take this seriously then let Logan talk!"

Logan rolled his eyes but knocked back his whiskey and took over talking. _When did he get whiskey? _

"Well, what happened was Bella gave into her instincts and let go of the aggression she was holding on to. As I had told Tony before the session, we overwhelmed her with attackers and last second I came in and tried shocking her system by driving my claws into her, It worked and she snapped out of it but like I said, she was quickly mentally and physically exhausted, she was losing consciousness when suddenly, Steve comes in and punches me. He became unnaturally possessive of her and did not want Tony or I getting near her because he thought we would hurt her. _Somehow_, and we are not sure how, that is why Peter and Charlotte are coming, somehow her instincts woke up some of his and they recognized each other as mates. I don't know if it was because both of them were in that 'primal' phase and they are both single, or if it was just suppose to happen like that for them but… that is what happened."

Everyone seemed to open their mouths to speak at the same time but Logan put his hands up and shut them right up before they could get a word out.

"That is all we know. We are as confused as you guys, we have no answers yet."

"How- but- and- but, I mean- are they acting like animals or something?"

I took over the explanation then since I had been in the room with them yesterday.

"They are not, last night Steve took her to her room since she is very weak and in and out of consciousness. He doesn't want to leave her and guys, he is as confused as we are, he said he didn't know why he had those urges but he just knew he needed to protect her while she is weak and vulnerable. He said her scent is heightened now, at least to him and their scents relax each other, that much I saw."

Darcy tilted her head back and forth for a moment.

"That actually sounds cute! He is like her prince or something right now, plus he is hot! I didn't get to talk to him last night though, is he nice or is he an ass?"

"I think he is pretty good for her. We took him to get clothes yesterday and he is very much a modern gentleman… well not modern yet because he is still on a 40's mentality but he is trying."

"Well he was attracted to her since before so you think it was already starting or just because of instinct?"

"It had to be from before because that would explain why his instincts came out when hers did."

"Yes, yesterday we were in the room and as soon as Logan stabbed her he lost it! He was panting and sweating, trying to undo the locks to get to her and since it was locked from the inside, he knocked down the door before going and landing a hit on Logan."

"So all we can do is wait?"

"Yep."

Piotr nodded and stood up to make coffee.

"Breakfast is on the way, it should be here by 10."

Everyone sat down to wait and drink coffee or hot chocolate except for Logan who got more whiskey from somewhere. We only had to wait and make small talk for a few minutes before Jarvis announced that the lobby was calling for a delivery. Tony, Logan, and Piotr went down to get everything while I went to look for where we put Bruce's suit case after Phil brought it last night. I swung by quickly to peek in on Bella and Steve after taking off the alarm on their door. The room was dark with the lights off but the bathroom lights were left on and cast a soft glow around the room. Bella had her head on his chest and he had both arms wrapped around her with his head tilted towards her. They looked like a couple and I guess that is what they would be if they are mates. I shut the door as slowly and soundlessly as I could before making my way down and giving Bruce his things.

"Thanks. I'll go shower and change."

"Sure but don't take too long, I got some breakfast for you too."

He nodded and smiled at us before leaving the kitchen. All 3 men came back in loaded with bags and boxes of food for us to dig into. Bruce came back and scarfed down quite a bit of food but midway through our meal Tony silenced us all and started looking at his watch.

"Peter said they wold be here at 10:16 and it's already 10:15. 8,7,6,5,4,3,2,-"

He was interrupted by Jarvis saying that access to the elevator was being requested.

"Shit!"

"Tony!"

"Sorry kids."

He got up with a smirk to wait by the elevator but told us to keep eating. As soon as they walked in, Kitty got up and hugged both of them.

"Munchkin! How are ya? Not so small anymore I see!"

Peter hugged her for a moment but Char pushed him aside and embraced her for a while too. They moved on to Piotr, Darcy, Jane, Logan, and I but paused in front of Bruce. Peter smiled big and extended his hand to shake.

"Pleasure to meet ya, I'm a big fan of your green rage!"

Char looked like she was about to slap him after seeing the grimace on Bruce's face but Tony let out a loud laugh and patted Peter on the shoulder.

"I said something along those same lines when I first met him too."

He moved to pat Bruce on the back in a way to take the uncomfortable edge off.

"Alright, sit and explain what the hell is going on because we are all confused."

Peter got a serious look on his face then and began to explain the basic knowledge that came with being mates in the vampire world. When the word vampire first came out of his mouth, the rest of us froze and looked to Bruce but he was relaxed and not surprised. Tony told us that Bella confessed to him years ago that she had told him every aspect of her life when she first met up with him on her search for control. Peter didn't know how but he knew Bruce was caught up on everything.

"… And so I know all of that will play out on a less intense scale with them. Right now it is all heightened and new so that is why they will probably want to be together constantly for at least this first week. It will feel less intense later on but it will never dull out, it's hard to stay mad with your mate and almost impossible to go on a trip without them. I'm not sure if they will feel the pain in their chests when they are apart, we will see later on how it works for them but the one thing I do know will be different is the marking. We feel the urge and the instinct to mark and claim our mates the first time we have sex-"

"Eww! Peter I don't want to think about you and Char or my mom and Steve doing it!"

"Well one day your gonna be doing it too and we will kill the guy but it will happen… Wait."

He looked at her and narrowed his eyes but leaned back in relief.

"You're still a virgin…. But you and Piotr are dating? When did that happen?"

There were gasps heard all around the room as we studied the 2 of them. They turned red under our stares but I had a thought and swung my head around to stare at Logan.

"And where were you? You are nosy and live under the same roof as them! How did you not know?!"

"Oh I knew. I just didn't tell any of you. They can do whatever they want with themselves but they know I am in their floor, always listening, always ready to step in if he takes their little make out sessions too far."

Kitty put her hands over her face and groaned while Piotr just leaned back and avoided our stares.

"Can you guys just not.. I will tell my mom when all this calms down but, just let me do it."

We nodded silently but didn't say anything. _Kitty and Piotr…_ how strange is that? We always thought there was something there when the family first met him and they were so into each other but for years they insisted on being friends only…

"When did it start?"

Kitty shrugged and looked down.

"5 months after mom disappeared. He just helped me through it and our feelings changed over time. We really were just friend before though."

Tony looked to me but he was still too stunned. He probably couldn't comprehend that his little goddaughter was old enough to be in a relationship. He still saw her as the small 15 year old that he taught how to hack her first computer. I looked back to Peter and closed my eyes briefly to try and remember what I needed to ask.

"Um, Peter, you were saying about about marking? Yeah, how does that work and why won't Bella and Steve do that?"

"Well here is my mark."

He moved his shirt away to show a faint bite scar on his collarbone. Char did the same on the opposite side.

"Humans can hardly see the mark but this is a claim and a mark so any vampire that I ever encounter knows I am mated. Char has hers and usually the urge in a vampire is too strong to ignore, it is pure instinct that we bite each other and inject our venom into each other. Bella has a small amount of venom in her DNA, we already know that, but it is not what runs through her system so I highly doubt, in fact I am sure, that they will not try to bite each other, it really makes no sense for them to do it. Now, we need to take breakfast up to the newly mated, Bella will be up by now and it will get awkward in about 10 minutes so we better go now. Pepper, come and introduce us to Steve, he will still be a little protective but it will be because of the new bond between them, she is much better this morning, only her body is a little weak."

I got up and shook my head in disbelief.

"I will never get tired of that."

"You would if you had to live with him and he acted like a cocky ass everyday."

"Aww don't be like that sugar, you know ya love me."

Char smiled up at him sweetly as he wrapped his arm around her waist and started walking up towards Bella's room. I looked back and made eye contact with Kitty and she smiled softly at seeing them. If this is the type of 'mating' Bella and Steve were looking forward to then how could this situation be bad?

_-Bella (20 minutes earlier)_

I slowly gained consciousness and became aware of my surroundings but before I could open my eyes, I froze at the feeling of something tightening around me. I flinched and lifted my head while opening my eyes but my body was too weak to hold my head up so suddenly and it fell back to a surface that was definitely not my soft pillow. I blinked and looked up to see Steve's face 3 inches away from mine, his sleepy eyes looked into mine and I could see the realization flashing through his while I myself remembered how we both ended up here. I remembered bits and pieces from when I was coming in and out of consciousness but Steve was the main point to all of them. I felt a pull to him, a safety in his arms and his scent that calmed me all night and let me rest once Pepper was out of the room. I heard bits of conversation that didn't make sense to me but the need I had for Steve scared me, in a way I thought of what Edward once explained mating to be like, but that was years ago when I thought I was his mate. Could I do that? Maybe I could with the bit of venom in me and the primal edge that Logan gave me but Steve didn't have any venom in his so how could he mate with someone? I guess no one really knows what exactly was in his super soldier serum, and it has never been remade successfully. What did Steve think of what happened last night? He looked at me for a moment but the main emotion on his face was concern.

"How do you feel?"

"Um, somewhat confused.. Still tired physically but I think I could actually get out of bed in a few hours. I don't think this exhaustion will last days like Logan had said. What about you? Do you remember everything? I only recall some bits."

"Yes, I think I do. Not that it makes sense. Bella, I'm sorry, how I acted was… It was like I was in my body and I was in control but I had new urges and instincts, _feelings_ that I had never even thought or imagined I could have, much less act upon. When Logan hurt you and you couldn't defend yourself, it's like a part of me snapped and I had to get to you no matter what. I had to protect you and keep you safe but at the same time I wanted to yell out that you were mine and they couldn't touch you.. A part of me still feels that way. Do you still feel what you did last night?"

"I do. I was hurt and my body and mind just felt so heavy, a part of me was scared at the thought that anyone could come at any moment an attack me but I wouldn't be able to even lift a finger. At first when Logan put his claws in me, it snapped me out of the rage enough but I just felt lost and I smelled you, I wasn't sure if it was you but instinctively, I knew that scent was safe and I could cling to it, I opened my eyes enough to see it was you and, I mean, we just met and I didn't assume or anything, I just _knew_ that I was okay as long as I was near you, your presence calmed me all night when I woke up enough and still felt scared at how weak I was, I would just feel you next to me and smell you and I would relax. I knew it was strange, it _is_ strange, but I didn't care, it was okay, it was what I needed, what I still need in a way."

He nodded and thought about what I said for a moment.

"I didn't know and I still am not clear on why I was acting the way I was but, that feeling that you said, that it was okay, that is still how I feel. I knew it was wrong for me to invite myself into your bed but I couldn't care enough to leave, it was the proper thing to do, as a gentleman I should have left your room as soon as I put you in your bed, I should not have disrespected you that way, logically I know that and agree to that, but I couldn't make myself go, you needed me and I needed to be near you, I still do, I don't really feel like it was wrong because nothing about this feels wrong, it's like this is how it's suppose to be and I don't know what this is, I don't feel like it's something that needs to be changed, this feels natural and right. Do you feel it that way too?"

"Yes, I- yes I feel that way too."

I didn't want to sound completely crazy so I wouldn't tell him but I feel completed, like everything else in my life lost the level of importance it had. I looked down and thought maybe I could explain my theory to him but before I did, I would have to explain my past and that was something I didn't want to do, I wanted to leave my past in the past. I felt weak still but knew I had to do this with a little bit of space and not while laying on his chest, although it was something I would like to do a lot more often from now on. He noticed my arm shaking as I tried to sit up and he quickly shot up and rearranged the pillows around me until I was leaning comfortably against the headboard.

"Thank you. Look, I think I know what happened, I don't know why it would but.. I need to explain a lot of myself before I can even start to make sense to you…"

I looked down again, feeling lost. I had told my story so many times to so many people now but I couldn't say it that same way to him, it felt like it meant more to tell him this big part of myself that is not on files. His hand came into sight as he shuffled closer to me and lifted my chin up to meet his eyes.

"You can tell me whatever is going on Bella. Whatever you want to tell me, I'll listen."

"I just don't know where to even start."

He opened his mouth as he looked at me softly but the entire moment was ruined when the door clicked open and a voice boomed into the room.

"Well don't ya worry darlin' because I know right where to start!"

_Peter!_

In an instant Steve had tightened his hold on me and had switched our positions so he was now closer to the door and I was slightly behind him. I smiled weakly at Peter and Char before locking eyes with Pepper, I put a hand on Steve's shoulder blade and slid it up until I cold lightly squeeze his shoulder.

"It's okay Steve, they are friends of mine, of the family."

He relaxed a little bit but was still on edge until Pepper took the lead and stepped in front of them.

"Good morning Bella, Steve. We brought you guys breakfast in bed since we don't think you should push yourself into getting out of bed yet. It's good to see you awake though."

She came forward and let us sit up a bit more before placing a tray on my lap and turning to get the one Peter was carrying to place it on Steve's lap. I was hungry and I could hear Steve's stomach give a small growl but I couldn't help but feel extreme discomfort at having them watch me sit in bed..

"Oh Sug, how rude of us, you must feel uncomfortable with us just standing and watching you both."

Char left the room for a moment but came back with the couch that was in the small living room here on the 3rd floor, we had never used it so the couch was brand new. Pepper took a seat first while Char slowly made eye contact with Steve and came to hug me.

"Sug, you have no idea what we felt when we heard on the news… we called Tony and he confirmed it, we are so happy that you are back safe."

I moved one arm to hug her back but I couldn't squeeze as much as I wanted to.

"I missed you guys too."

Peter didn't come near me, he stayed at the foot of the bed and watched me from there.

"It's great to see ya darlin' we can catch up in a bit an' I'll give ya a proper hug then too but first we need to catch up your man here to what we know. I know it's best if I tell the tale?"

I nodded, grateful that I dodged this one but the way he had said 'I know' had me thinking twice. I focused on my shields and wrapped them tightly around myself. Peter dropped his shoulders and playfully glared at me.

"You're no fun."

I shook my head and drank from the bottle of water on the tray while I listened to him take off with the story. He and Char had sat down and at first, all he did was confuse Steve more, he had begun by telling his own story, then he went on to say how he met Jasper while he was with Maria and he was a newborn, how he avoided being killed and how he met Char when she was first turned. I saw the disbelief on Steve's face at first but Peter showed him his scars and told him to remember Char bringing in the sofa all on her own. I was confused as to why he would start with his own story but it amazed me because by the time he began to explain about the Cullen's way of life, how Jasper found them, Steve was really able to understand what a big deal it was for them to be animal drinkers, Peter had told his own story in such a detail that in less than an hour, Steve now had full understanding of how a nomad, typical vampire functioned. He explained his connection to Char and his needs, his instincts, in a way that had Steve and I looking to each other as he saw where this was going and the purpose of the story. He listened with so much attention, he was enraptured in every word that Peter spouted.

".. That year, everything changed for them, it was the year little miss Bella moved to Forks to stay with her dad..."

Steve leaned forward a little when I came in, his attention was so focused. It was interesting, in a very strange way, to listen to the story of my early life from the perspective of another person. I had told my story to Peter and Char but they already knew what the Cullen's had said about it, they had the full spectrum and Peter was really using it to reel Steve in. He knew he was listening with more and more attention the more my name was mentioned. Steve tightened his hold on me when he explained in detail how my blood 'sang' for Edward, how he struggled and the events of all the days leading up to Port Angeles. Steve turned to me, remembering my side of the story from when I told him in the danger room. Peter filled in what I hadn't been able to say before, how 1 vampire easily scared off all the men. He went on to say how Edward revealed his gift, the events leading up to the famous baseball game, he made sure to give extreme detail when it came to James, Laurent, and Victoria. I was so glad I was not the one telling the story when Peter went on to explain the ballet studio to Steve. He almost vibrated in anger next to me, he noticed I was long finished with my food and moved me on to his lap while he buried his nose in my neck. It was not as instinctive and primal as it was last night but now it was just a move to calm himself down and make sure I was okay. We knew what Peter was leading to now and I was more than happy to lean my back against his strong chest. He lifted my wrist to his face to smell it and touch my scar, he took a sharp breath when he noticed the burning heat in the thin lines of the scar, Peter paused long enough for me to tell him it was colder than the rest of my skin when I was human but when I went through the cosmic exposure, it became hotter than the rest of my body, it was a theory that it was the residual venom trapped there that affected me to have some vampire qualities after the exposure.

"I need to use the restroom. You can keep telling the story Peter."

I tried scooting off the bed but it just wasn't working for me. Char got up at vampire speed and looked to Steve before reaching down to pick me up and run me to the bathroom.

"Thanks Char. I can't wait to bring my strength back up."

"It's no problem Sug."

Thank the lord that my toilet was in a separate little door, like a room in the bathroom so she could stay in it while I did my business and she did not have to watch. When we came out, Pepper had left with the breakfast tray's and Peter had caught up Steve a little more. It was hard to listen about Jasper's struggle when I cut myself on my birthday. Peter gave a full detail on how Edward left me in the woods, I think it was his own hate of Edward that motivated him to give full detail of what an asshole he is. Steve clenched his fists while listening about me lost in the woods, cold on the ground until someone found me. Peter paused for a moment and told him we would come back to my story in a moment and who found me, first he gave a full tribal history about the wolves. Even I was surprised at how much he really knew.

"We've been hiding in Forks for too long Bella, we made nice with the wolves and they have told us a bit more about themselves now that we have a truce."

I nodded and let him finish the story. It embarrassed me to hear how pathetic I was in the time after Edward left me, I was so weak at the time but I didn't feel like Steve judged me on it, if anything he nodded his head like he could understand me. I remembered fond memories of when the pack pulled me out of my low but I couldn't help the rage and tears that fell when Peter revealed how Charlie really died. Steve stopped listening and tried to pull me closer to his chest. He became concerned and started asking if Victoria was still around, why she wanted my life instead of Edward's, if she was still a threat..

"Hold up there, let me finish the lady's story."

I rolled my eyes at Peter but was glad that he was explaining everything in a way that gave all the details to Steve but kept him calm with Peter's calm tone. He went over everything, things I didn't even remember or that I wouldn't have thought important enough to tell Steve. He told him about getting a frantic call from Jasper, how Victoria had killed Esme and Rose. How they were on high alert for a while and how they met back up with me when I took Kitty to Forks all those years ago.

"We trained together every night she was there and we were very compatible, all 4 of us became a good team. All those theories were shot to hell though when Bella here went missing. We haven't heard of Victoria in a while. Alice couldn't see her but my switch went off and I know she destroyed all of her newborns. She kept one with her but, it's like she gave up. That doesn't mean she won't start up again now that you were seen on the news and everyone knows you are back. By the way, I saw a gossip show say you were turned into an alien before your body was returned and that you are going to take over earth."

He and Char started laughing but my shock was anything but humorous.

"Guys, is that really what people are saying?"

"Oh no! Don't worry sugar, the girl was laughed off before it turned to an actual host with real news."

I nodded but sighed in relief.

"Okay now that you are caught up in all this… you both know, you figured it out since the beginning of my story and I confirmed it when I explained how 2 mates react to each other. You 2 are mates."

I looked to Steve and he looked at me. There was more understanding and no more confusion in his eyes than before but now I was the one that was overthinking things.

"How, how does that work, how did this happen?"

"Well no one ever really knows how mates are chosen, Char and I were attracted to each other but when she was turned, she hated that I was in charge of her. We had a bond and cared for each other but the love did not spout right away like it does for others. Bella, I know you never found someone you were interested in enough to even try dating but I think the reason, or at least one of them is that Steve here doesn't age. I don't think you will ever have full trust in a vampire, not enough to be a mate to one. And other than vampires, Logan is the only other person you know that doesn't age. He is not a suitable mate because his blood is the one that runs through yours and you guys are like family. Steve came along and he suits you, he will be around as long as you will be so who else could be better for you? The history of Captain America's serum is an interesting on too. No one has ever figured out how to recreate it, maybe it's because it had some type of vampire venom in there, That could be why he is able to mate. Tell me, how did both of you feel about each other when you first met? Were you attracted to each other or do you feel like you became chained to each other overnight?"

Steve looked to me as he answered.

"I couldn't stop looking at the videos that came with your file, from the very beginning I thought you were stunning, you are beautiful but I just wanted to know everything about you. I spent the whole plane ride asking Phil about you… I already told you this morning that _this,_ this mating, it doesn't feel wrong. It's sudden, and I honestly do think I am a little overwhelmed with how fast this is all happening. I still have so much that I need to be caught up on but, I do appreciate the fate that you are the one who brought me in and are the one that is going to help me through this."

I nodded absentmindedly. It made sense if I thought of it that way, it almost did feel like fate I guess.

"I was attracted to you as soon as I looked into your eyes."

I huffed out a laugh and he smirked softly at me.

"I thought maybe I could flirt with you here and there but I knew I needed to give you time and catch you up before I tried anything further than that. I'm not saying this is a bad thing Steve, it's just.. very unexpected. We just need to take it a day at a time I guess."

He nodded seriously and Char spoke softly to the both of us.

"I know you guys were not expecting this, no one ever is. You 2 don't have to have any expectations or set any dates or timelines for how much your relationship needs to progress. Just go one day at a time and never overthink things. Do what feels natural. What I mean by that is, if you feel the relationship is moving too fast, that is not always a bad thing, being mates means that there is no one else in the world more suited for you than your partner. I have never heard of mates that were not happy with each other, it's impossible. Don't force anything on your relationship, do whatever feels right to both of you, you will find that almost 95% of the time, your mate will feel the same about it."

Peter nodded in agreement and smiled sweetly down at his mate. It was sweet to see, I couldn't help but look forward to having that. I never felt lonely, how could I with such a big family? But I guess I did lack companionship… I looked away from the pair and looked up to my mate. I found Steve looking at them thoughtfully as well before he turned to me and smiled shyly. He silently reached for my hand and squeezed it for a moment before looking at me softly. I smiled and squeezed back. _This man is my mate… how crazy is that?_…. and he is hot!


End file.
